


White Houses (Hiatus)

by skreaver



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Established Relationship, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Polyamorous relationship, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-05
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-03-14 10:24:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 41,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13588092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skreaver/pseuds/skreaver
Summary: All of the participants of Danganronpa's 53rd season have escaped with knowledge they didn't want and quite frankly didn't need. What's waiting for them after the smoke clears? How will they get along?That's what this story is about. How you and your 16 other classmates deal with the aftermath of being involved in a killing game and having no family to return to, instead having to make that family for yourself.Update: I reordered some chapters so that the ones that take place earlier on in the timeline are first. I never intended for this story to be completely chronological but I feel this set up is just better.





	1. Love After Loss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been three years since then. 
> 
> Three years since you first moved in to this crazy house and started dating sixteen people. 
> 
> It wasn't an ordinary lifestyle by any means... but it brought you the kind of peace and serenity some people only ever dreamt of finding.

_You were sitting in a room, surrounded by sixteen chairs containing the living, breathing bodies of your supposed to be dead classmates. Apparently they had all been rescued just before their executions by a team devoted to stopping Danganronpa once and for all. The snuck in as part of the staff and replaced bodies with perfect silicone replicas, accurately recreating the murder scene right under Team Danganronpa's nose._

_In front of you was a desk and an older man, probably in his late forties, sat behind it. He belonged to that organization, the relief team responsible for helping you to end Danganronpa. On his left stood a powerful looking young woman with kind eyes and to his right a man about the same age with a soft sympathetic expression. They belonged to the team as well._

_You looked around at your classmates. You were all wearing the same grim expressions. You all must have looked... so tired. You could feel it in your bones - the weariness and hopelessness that surrounded the room._

_You survived until the end, survived Danganronpa along with Shuichi, Maki and Himiko. Reuniting with your thought to be dead classmates should've been a relief, something hopeful and it was... until that time._

 The words repeat in your head as nightmares every so often.

 “ _As you know we've been in the process of reaching out to your real families” the older man started. He runs a thumb over his clasped hands, visibly uncomfortable. “We've managed to find most of them but...”_

  _Your chest tightened..._  
  
_“We uh...” he started... and then sighed. “I'm terribly sorry. There's no easy way to put this but none of the families we've reached out to have expressed a desire for you to return home...”_

 … _and it shattered._

 “ _W-Wait what...?” Himiko gasped._

 _"You can't be serious?! How could they not want us back?!” Kaito roared desperately into the quiet of the room._  
  
_“We're really sorry, guys. Truthfully we are but... since you're legally 18 they don't have to take you back...” the younger man explained, eyes softening so much it looked like he might just cry on your behalf._

“ _What are... we supposed to do now?” Tsumugi stuttered, tears racing down her cheeks._

_“You understand what reality must be like for us right now, right?” Maki seethed._

  _Everyone started to panic. Some yelling, some breaking down in tears and some barely said a word at all, shaking quietly in the aftermath of this information._

  _Through the despair, you could make out the man trying to settle everyone, trying to reassure and comfort everyone... and you decided to try and listen._  
  
_You started to speak, voice unsteady but loud enough that it caught everyone's attention. “What can we do from here?” you were shaking, tears threatening to fall as everyone turned to look at you._

 “ _C-Can you help us?” you tried so hard to stay determined, even if you wanted to break. But that was part of your talent as the “Ultimate Therapist” you figured. Even if that, in and of itself, was a lie._

  _The man looked at you, something of gratitude in his expression._  
  
_“Yes... we can” he answered, softly. He looks like a father handling a little kid but right now you felt about as frail as one, so you rather appreciated the gesture. “It isn't much but we can give you a place to live to start with” he said._

“ _Unfortunately we don't have the budget to afford you all your own place but we can put you up in a house where you'll live together. We'll be checking in monthly and monitoring your situation as well as paying for your expenses until you're able to integrate back into society”_

  _Everyone's quiet._

 “ _You'll be taking tests to determine what level of education you'll start with. If we deem you're ready for college we'll put you through a five month class to earn your diplomas and you'll start college that summer” he went on._

  _It wasn't much... but it was something._

  _\---------_

You wake up in a cold sweat, throttling yourself up into a sitting position. The room is dark, save for a small nightlight and your breathing is ragged and you can't stop yourself from burying your hands into your hair. You're focusing on your breathing, trying to calm yourself and remind yourself that this is reality.

 You're safe in bed, in a house you shared with 16 other people, that you have all begun to pay for by yourselves. You're not back in a dorm, trapped in a school where you're forced to kill the people you had come to love.

 It's been three years since then.

 It's been three years since then. It's been three years since then. It's been three years since then. And you just keep repeating that in your head over and over again until you believe it. Your breathing starts to settle after a while.

 You look around the room, recognizing the navy blue paint on the walls that you had come to love. Your fingers trace over the wall, and you feel the uncomfortable tickle the texture leaves on your fingertips but you really couldn't care less. You smile despite yourself.

 You look down at the alarm clock sitting on a desk below you. The bright red numbers are blaring 4:00am and you sigh. It won't be time for you to go to work for a while but you doubt you can get back to sleep after a dream like that. You never can, usually. And usually, you make food instead.

 Some of your housemates will be getting up for work soon and you're sure they might like some breakfast anyway, so why not. It'll be a nice distraction.

 Carefully you maneuver yourself over to the ladder, illuminated by the nightlight and make your way slowly off of your loft bed. You take your time so as not to wake the sleeping Shuichi in the bed beneath yours. He hasn't slept much the past few nights and right now he looks so peaceful.

 You admire how cute he looks, sleeping so soundly and with such a content expression. You repress the urge to smooch those adorable little cheeks of his, wanting him to sleep for a while longer. Today was his day off from both school and work so any rest he could get was valuable.  
  
You softly make your way out of the bedroom and into the shared living room. Your hand searches along the wall for a light switch and you gently flick it on once you find it. Your gaze is immediately drawn to the large couch in the center and you find yourself peeking over to see if anyone's on it. Sometimes you or your housemates would be so damn tired you'd just collapse on the thing and sleep until disturbed.

 To your luck there's no one on it tonight.

 “Nice...” you mumble, letting out a yawn. You stretch your weary arms, hearing your bones crack. It sounds horrid but the feeling that follows is so relieving.

 You step into the kitchen and make your way to the refrigerator. Opening it you find that your stock of foodstuffs is starting to look a little bleak. There's a carton of milk, some mandarins, two types of cheeses, three eggs and a package of bacon left.

 You blow a soft raspberry in mild annoyance. “Welp... someone's gonna have to go shopping soon...”  
  
It was gonna be either you, Kirumi or Rantarou for sure.

 “Oh well, there's enough for one more breakfast” barely, but you'll make it work.

You grab the bacon, eggs as well as the mandarins and bring them to the counter. You grab the needed cookware and prep the pan before turning the oven on. You plop the bacon into the pan and immediately wince as it makes the loudest fucking sizzling noise you've ever heard in your life.

“Ssshhh you asshole...”  
  
Talking to food when it didn't obey you was a favorite past time of yours. Were you crazy? Probably. All the best therapists know what crazy looks like in their own reflection before they ever encounter it in another person. Even if that was something you were fabricated to believe you had begun to accept it all the same. You didn't know how to think any other way and honestly... you were alright with that.

A soft creak of a door alerts you to the presence of someone else in the room.

“[Name]..?” the voice is soft but even.

You turn and find Kirumi gently stepping out of her room. She has her signature silk, white robe on and she's trying to rub the influx of light out of her eyes.

“Oh hey, Kirumi” you smile. “Just making breakfast!”

“I see... nightmares again?” she looks concerned.

“Yeah kinda...” you try to shrug it off.

You had them so much this had become something of a ritual for you and everyone had kind of gotten used to it. It didn't stop them from worrying however and you hated knowing you were the cause of that worry... even if it _was_ nice to know that they cared.

“I'll take that as affirmation” she speaks calmly, now making her way over to you. She slips her fingers into your free hand and your heart just melts. “Are you alright?” she asks.

“Better now” you smile, leaning to press a kiss to her forehead. Your heart dances in a giddy frenzy when you notice the soft tint of pink on her cheeks. “It's always nice to have such a cutie worried about me~” you chuckle, making her blush worsen. You really were a terrible flirt.

“S-So I see...” she manages a stutter, fingers gripping onto yours tighter in fluster. Kirumi was normally so serious and formal, it was nice to see this softer side of her. Even if you did immensely admire her devotion and tenacity. In truth she probably wouldn't have been so affected by your words if she didn't already know you were being completely transparent with her.

She changes the subject rather quickly, however, clearing her throat. “Did you require any help?”

“Oh, actually, if you want to break the eggs be my guest!”  
  
“Certainly”

A few minutes go by and the two of you engage in soft, idle chatter for a while. Kirumi is usually the first to wake up when you go through these early morning breakfast adventures so you've grown quite used to this quiet time together.

That is until the second culprit gets up, lured out by the smell of food.

“Hey, you guys makin' breakfast out here?”

Who else but Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars, would come shuffling out of his room. His bedhead is even more atrocious than his normal hairstyle but you've come to find it endearing after a while.

“Well, you're certainly not gonna make it” you laugh, coaxing a giggle from Kirumi.

“Ah c'mon cut me some slack! It's hard working and going to the gym every day!” he's trying to defend himself, but you can hear the humor underneath it.

“Oh yeah? You didn't go yesterday. How's that for your everyday regime, Mr. Spaceman?” you retaliate, waving a pair of tongs in his direction.

“I seem to recall you skipped out on Monday as well” Kirumi chides, looking to you with a playful expression.

“Aww, c'mon you guys now you're just ganging up on me!” he sounds defensive but you can't help but chuckle at him. He's behind you in minutes, slinging an arm over your shoulder. “What's so funny, huh?”

You turn and notice he's got a wide smile on his face, so you just shake your head. “Nothin'. Nothing at all~”

“Now that's more like it” he laughs and presses a kiss to your cheek, goatee tickling at your skin and later does the same to Kirumi.

The three of you find yourself in idle chatter once again, Kaito lingering off to the side watching the two of you cook.

 ---

The morning continues on like that.

One by one everyone is drawn out of their rooms either by the aroma of breakfast or the sounds of you talking, giving you good morning hugs and kisses on the cheek. Some offer to help with plates and some go straight to the table (especially Himiko who stumbles downstairs half awake and just mumbles “foooood” the whole way down.)

As per usual Shuichi, Rantarou and Gonta set the table while you, Ryoma, Kirumi and Kaede bring the food to it.

Soon enough, everyone is seated, including yourself.

Between bites of eggs and bacon you sit surrounded by sixteen chairs containing the living, breathing bodies of the people you had come to love so dearly. They're all talking with each other, with you and you can't help smiling, tired eyes looking on at your partners endearingly.

Even if you all had lost so much and been through so much heart ache you had found a way to move on. Move on with each other.

I _t was plenty enough for now._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo! You've made it to the end of the first chapter! Thank you so much for reading. 
> 
> Now, originally, I wasn't going to have it be canon in this fic that everyone is in a polyamorous relationship but the idea has really grown on me and I've incorporated it in pretty much all the chapters I've written thus far. 
> 
> That being said, there will definitely be chapters that focus on either one or two characters rather than all of them so don't worry about your fav potentially not getting any spotlight! I'm going to work hard to make sure that doesn't happen! 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this little idea of mine. I'm really looking forward to continuing it!


	2. Move-in Day [Mixed]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and your 16 classmates find yourself in the care of an organization created to help the participants of Danganronpa unravel their trauma and reconnect with the world after coming off the show. 
> 
> They've helped you by supplying you with a house-
> 
> and today is move-in day.
> 
> Characters Featured in this Chapter: everyone gets a little bit of time in this one but it's primarily Shuichi, Kaede, Korekiyo, Keebo and Kaito.

_In front of you was a desk and an older man, probably in his late forties, sat behind it. He belonged to that organization, the relief team responsible for helping you to end Danganronpa. On his left stood a powerful looking young woman with kind eyes and to his right a man about the same age with a soft sympathetic expression. They belonged to the team as well._

“ _It isn't much but we can give you a place to live to start with” said the older man._

“ _Unfortunately we don't have the budget to afford you all your own place but we can put you up in a house where you'll live together. We'll be checking in monthly and monitoring your situation as well as paying for your expenses until you're able to integrate back into society”_

_Everyone's quiet._

_It wasn't much... but it was something._

_\------_

It had been three days since that meeting.

At that time you all thought you would be returning home to your families. You thought you would be going back to people who knew you but were also strangers to you at the same time.

But they didn't want you back. Something about how 'if you were ungrateful enough to participate in that awful show then we don't want you back. Good riddance.' You only that because you'd been prodding the younger gentleman that had joined you in that room during the meeting. He'd been incredibly reluctant to even tell you that much and once you heard it, you understood why. Your heart had balled up into a fist just to punch you in the gut when he finally told you.

You cried the entire three days after that.

But today would be a better day, you tried to reason with yourself. Today was move in day. The day you would all finally be moving into your new home and begin your new lives.

It was about two o'clock in the afternoon when a van arrived to collect the seventeen of you from the hotel you had been put up in for the time being. You pooled into the car and it drove off.

The drive isn't so bad.

The chattier members of the group are wondering about the house and living arrangements.

“Himiko! You and I should share a room!” Tenko enthusiastically offers. 

“Nyeh? Aren't we all getting our own rooms? Like back at the academy?” the mage inquires.  
  
The driver, who happens to be the young woman from the meeting, speaks up. “Unfortunately, we could not find a house that would accommodate separate rooms for 17 people so you will be sharing for the time being. The rooms are quite spacious so it should suit you just fine”  
  
“What a pain...”

“Don't worry, Himiko! I'll make sure you're never bored! And if you ever need a shoulder to cry on I'll be right there always!” Tenko grins down at her smaller friend.

It seems to help her brighten up just a bit. The smaller girl had been trying her best to keep up with her choice to 'live life facing forward', but with everything that had happened she was struggling and fairly so.

You all were.

Behind smiles and carefully placed laughs you were all breaking inside. The sick reality that you no longer knew who you were in this world, coupled with the fact that your only connection to those past selves had been severed you all felt... lost. Lost would be the only way to describe it.

But the banter carries on, as it always does, as if nothing had changed.

“Maaan, why do I have to share a room with these losers?” Kokichi whines, frowning.

Miu scoffs. “I can't believe I'm saying this but I agree with short shit. None of you have the right to be in such _close_ quarters to a genius like me”

“Then maybe we'll just vote you out of the house then.” a smile breaks out over Kokichi's face. “I'll start the voting now, anyone who wants Miu out of the house raise your hand!”

“N-No!! You can't do that! That's not fair!”  
  
“Cut it out, Kokichi. We're not voting anyone out of the house” Maki sighs.  
  
“Aww, you're no fun _Maki Roll_ ”

Maki shoots Kokichi a glare so fierce you actually see him flinch for a moment. He retains his signature smile but you can just _barely_ make out his little body trembling. 

“Nehehe~” of course, he's laughing despite it. “Is this the part where you ask me if I want to die?”

Maki keeps fierce eye contact with Kokichi for the next few moments, judging whether or not to end his life right here and now. Ultimately sighing and looking away.

You put a hand on her shoulder and rub it reassuringly. You knew that nickname probably stirred up more emotions than it used to, given everything that had happened.

Kirumi sighs, softly. “We shouldn't be fighting, we're going to be living together again, in even closer proximity than we were before. We should try to get along”

“Kirumi's right! We're going to be making a life together so we've gotta work together!” Kaede announces determinedly. 

“Fighting isn't going to get us anywhere, so let's all try to make this work” Ryoma echoes the thoughts of the other two.

The car ride continues like that for a while. Half of the car bickering and the other half calling for a truce. In truth, it felt like nothing had changed. It felt almost... normal. You found yourself wondering if you really could make this work. 

\------

It takes about an hour for the car to pull to a stop. When it does and the driver announces that you've arrived, you're all immediately drawn to the house just outside. At the sight of it, everyone's eyes widen and jaws are dropped. It was a pristine, white, two story building that sat right at the end of the block. It easily towered above the rest of the houses in it's row

Kaito presses himself up against a window. “That thing is fucking huge!”

“Woow” Kokichi whistles. “And here I was thinking you were gonna stick us all in some project home”

“It certainly seems suitable for us” Kiyo speaks softly from the back of the van.

“Yeah, it's more than enough” you agree. “But we won't know for real until we get inside. Isn't that right?” you smile towards the young woman at the wheel.

You're trying your best to fight back the emotions lingering beneath your smile and to be positive in this situation. Looking at the house you of course had some hope but too soon and too quickly did you start thinking about everything else the lot of you would have to adjust back to – everything that would be outside of that house.

You decide to try to push those thoughts away for now.

“Yes, of course. Please follow me”

The woman leads your group out of the car and up to the house. Once there she pulls out a ring of keys and hands you one off of it. 

“As you may have gathered, these are the keys to this house. One has been made for each of you so please take one from me as you step inside”

She looks to you, the straight line her mouth had been stretched into curves just a bit. 

“Would you like to do the honors?”  
  
You smile despite yourself. “Of course, thank you”

You step forward, unlocking the door. You push it open and at this point the interior of the bottom floor of the house is now visible to you. It's really quite incredible.

There's a rather spacious living room just as you walk in with two bedrooms off to the left and three more on the right. The kitchen is placed towards the back of the house and the dining room, as per most houses, is right next to it.

You place a foot inside the house... and the realization that this is your new home starts to sink in.

Soon enough everyone is inside, inspecting the house. A few people make their way over to the rather large, rounded couch in the middle of the living room. Across from it is an entertainment stand with a sleek, thin looking TV on top of it and a dvd player sitting in the small cut out underneath.  
  
“We didn't want to overwhelm you but we figured it might be nice to start with a few things. All of your rooms have loft beds in them as well” the young woman explains.

“I could live on this thing” Ryoma sighs contentedly, his small body sinking into the cushions.

"Oh, does that mean you'll be giving up your room, then?” Angie wonders, looking teasingly inquisitive.

The small boy responds simply. “Nope”

“Aww, that’s too bad” Angie’s pouting. “Atua was hoping we’d have a spare room for prayer”

Ryoma again, responds simply. “Too bad for Atua”

A small snicker escapes you from watching the exchange. 

You start looking around and you notice that everyone has more or less started to make their way around the house.They’re exploring and some are even beginning to claim rooms for themselves.

You hear Kokichi’s voice from upstairs. “Oh man, this one’s totally mine”

Kaito, to no one’s surprise, is at the fridge. To everyone’s surprise however, the fridge and pantry appear to be fully stocked.

“Holy shit! There’s so much food! I was half expecting it to be empty”

“Well, I guess it would be kind of silly to move us in here with no food” Kaede ponders, now digging through the pantry.

“You and your team have done a remarkable job providing us with necessities” Keebo speaks, an inquisitive expression claiming his face as he looks to the still unnamed woman who'd let you in.

“Yes, you have. It begs the question as to why, however.” Korekiyo, who had been exploring a bedroom downstairs, suddenly emerges. “Why do all of this for a group of teenagers who supposedly, willingly committed themselves to a game show about killing people?”

The woman takes a moment to respond. The sudden silence that takes over fills your heart with a sensation that feels a lot like drowning. It keeps you from speaking, keeps you from breathing.

However the thoughts that begin to stir in your mind, the ones about this possibly being another sick joke or a prank, start to ebb away when she speaks.

“As was mentioned when you were all first gathered after the show we are, well _were_ rather, a team assembled to help put an end to Danganronpa, which we have now achieved” you don’t miss the subtle bit of pride in her tone. It’s not like you could blame her though.  

“We began our organization some time ago, during the 10th season or so-” she begins.

“We started helping the surviving participants from that season and onwards. Those who returned to their families were offered free therapy and other services. Those that couldn't return received the same services as you are”

“But why?” Keebo interjects. “Why help us if we _wanted_ to be part of a game that makes us kill each other?”

“Because whichever way you look at it, you're not those people anymore”

The room goes uncomfortably silent.

“And even if you were, is therapy denied to people who have murdered? Is professional help taken away from those who want kill themselves?” it's a rhetorical question but it makes you think nonetheless.

“I know it's hard to believe. That an organization like ours exists to help people who have gone through Danganronpa but it's true. We only want to help.”

The room is quiet still.

In the silence you feel driven to speak.

“I believe you”

The people present in the room turn to look at you, some surprised, some curious.

“What you're saying makes sense. There's all kinds of relief efforts for so many different things, so I'm not really surprised that your company exists” you offer the woman a smile. “I guess we’re all just a little wary, after what we've been through”

It’s silent for a little while longer, the air now contemplative.

“Yeah… when this was all first happening I found it really hard to believe. But when you put it like that it does make it seem natural” Kaede agrees.

“Hey, if they're offering us free food and a roof over our heads I don't think they can be that bad” Kaito grins.

“I suppose I misunderstood your true intentions. My apologies” Korekiyo lowers his head as a gesture of his words.

“Me too” Keebo pipes in. “I guess I was just  too skeptical after everything that's happened”

The woman shakes her head. “There’s really no need for apologies. Your feelings are valid and completely understandable”

She speaks like a therapist. Her words help ease your suffocating heart.

“We at the organization know trust is something gained over time and that it has to be worked for. We don’t ask for your trust, right now, but rather that you let us help you”

“I think we can do that” you grin. “Right guys?”  
  
Kaito balls up a fist, an energetic expression on his face. “Hell yeah! If it means good food and good friends then I’m down!”  

“After everything we’ve gone through… I have to admit this is a nice change of pace” Keebo agrees.  
  
The anthropologist in the room nods his head. “Yes, I’d have to say the same”

By the expression on Kaede’s face you’d say she’s in agreement. “Since you’ll be helping us, could you tell us your name? I just realized we never asked”

“Ah, and I never told you. My apologies” she bows her head. “I am Rui. In case you’re curious, the other man that was with me at the meeting is Shinji and the older man, our chief, is Mitobe”  
  
“Well it’s nice to meet you Rui” the blonde pianist smiles widely.  
  
“Likewise, and to the rest of you as well” she nods in your general direction. “Anyway, you all should get moving, you haven’t seen the rest of the house yet”  
  
At her words, it dawns on you that you’ve yet to even step foot into a bedroom. Throughout your conversation you could hear cries of “this one’s mine!”, “oooh, I like this one” and “room for one more?” coming from upstairs. If you didn’t move quickly you might not even get to pick who you roomed with.  
  
You start with the room off to the left, closest to the kitchen, _of course._

You open the door and the sight of a person inside startles you half to death.  
  
“Oh geez” you wheeze, catching your breath and laughing quietly to yourself. “Sorry, Shuichi. I didn’t even know you were in here”  
  
The detective had jumped back about five feet when you opened the door and was only just now regaining his composure. “O-Oh, it’s quite alright, [Name]”  
  
“Were you checking out this room?”

“Yeah” he nods. “It’s got a nice feel to it. I think this might be the one for me”

You smile, noticing how content looks in the moment. You don’t remember the last time you saw an expression like that on his face. After all, surviving Danganronpa really didn’t leave any room to feel content or happy even if it technically meant you hadn’t died. Regardless, it was just nice to see him looking relaxed. 

Your eyes wander from the detective and start bouncing around the room, taking in the decor. The room was painted a nice, cool blue color. It really made the room feel much calmer, safer even.  
  
“Yeah, I can see why you’d like it. The color of the room makes you feel calm, huh?”

“Mmm, I really enjoy it” he’s smiling now.

“Good I’m glad” you’re both smiling at each other now.  
  
“But you know-”  
  
He looks at you curiously.  
  
“I kind of like it myself. Think you’ve got room for one more?”  
  
His cheeks suddenly flare up in a soft pink. “Y-You want to share with me? Is that okay?”

You can’t help but giggle at him. He was far too cute for his own good sometimes. “Of course I do! After all it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve shared a room together”

During the time when Kokichi had convinced you and your remaining classmates that he was the mastermind, revealing the “secret” of the outside world in the progress, you had all become rather distressed. Shuichi, in particular, had you very worried. Even though you felt like your whole world had just been torn apart you couldn’t help but be concerned for him.

After he had lost Kaede the two of you had grown rather close and you learned a lot about him, and he about you. Heck, you had even joined him in his nightly training sessions with Kaito -and later Maki- because you knew how important they were to him! And after a while they had become just as important to you, as well. But in knowing so much about him you also knew how easy it was for him to feel lost and hopeless  
  
You had pushed away your own discomfort to go check on him. Once you saw what he looked like after only a day you made a point to stay with him in his room, trying to comfort him in the days before Maki would eventually find another flashback light. He didn’t push you away at that time like you thought he might, in fact he seemed to welcome your company.  
  
“Ah, that’s true, I suppose” Shuichi seems to be reflecting on the memories as well.

“I know that wasn’t a very happy occasion but… maybe we can make better memories, yeah?”

Shuichi’s quiet for a moment, mulling over something in his head. He doesn’t seem to be against the idea, which makes you feel a little better, but you really wanted him to say something. 

  
“Yeah” he says after a while, making your tummy flip just the slightest. “I think I’d like that” the truly genuine smile on his face makes your heart just melt.  
  
“Well then, that makes us roomies now!” you cheer happily.  
  
Shuichi laughs, soft and sweet. “I guess it does, doesn’t it?”

It sure did.

It was going to be a long road before any of you could consider yourselves “healthy” or “stable” but you didn’t suppose this was a bad start. No, in fact, it was a step towards the goal at the end of that road.

You would come to terms with what you lost, what you gained and all the rest. You would do it, _together._

  
  
  


 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I think a couple of you had asked if I would be doing fics detailing the beginning of the journey for everyone and this is your answer - yes, absolutely!! I figured it would be fun to start off with the day they move in and while this story probably isn't going to continue in chronological order there will certainly be fics detailing a bunch of firsts and explaining how certain things came to be. 
> 
> There's another part to this chapter that I'll be releasing right after! It deals with Tsumugi and this chapter was already long enough as it was and the plot didn't feel right to just squish in there so I figured I'd leave it separate. 
> 
> I hope you all are still enjoying this! Thank you for the support!


	3. Concerning the Mastermind [Tsumugi][Rantaro] [Move-in Day pt 2]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsumugi was the mastermind, that much was for certain. 
> 
> But the person you used to be wanted to be apart of a killing game, willingly. 
> 
> Surely there's a compromise here, somewhere. You just have to find it.
> 
>  
> 
> Characters Featured in this Chapter: Tsumugi -obviously- and there's a scene with Rantaro. A couple of other characters have a few lines.

It was amazing how well you all were adjusting to move-in day.  
  
Pairs of people quickly scrambled into claimed rooms, deciding on bottom or loft spaces of beds. It was almost like you were all little kids again, moving into a new home for the first time.

There were four rooms downstairs which had been claimed by you and Shuichi, Keebo and Miu, Angie and Kirumi, and lastly Ryoma and Korekiyo.

And the remaining five rooms upstairs had been claimed by Gonta and Kokichi, Himiko and Tenko, Maki and Kaede, and lastly Kaito and Rantaro.

Everyone seemed to be happy with their rooms and their partners. Everything was really going off without a hitch!

That was, until, you did your math again. A room had gone unaccounted for.  
  
You had just been about to leave Kaito and Rantaro's room after having checked it out.

“Looks like you guys are gonna have a ball” you laugh. 

“You know it!” Kaito grins from inside the room, meanwhile Rantaro chuckles in response.

“I think we'll make it work” he says.

The pair seemed to be getting along rather well for two people who had barely interacted previously. Then again, Kaito and Rantaro weren't too different. They both strived to work for what was best for the people around them and they weren't afraid to be reckless to get it.

And secretly, you hoped the fashionista of the two could give Kaito some tips on how to manage that bird's nest he called hair, maybe convince him goatees actually _are_ creepy and Kokichi wasn't just lying when he said they were. If anyone could do it, Rantaro could. It might be a years-in-the-making kind of plan though.

You laugh to yourself at the thought, gently closing the door to let the boys discuss bed arrangements and whatever else they might get up to talking about.

In the quiet of the hallway, that's when you noticed it. 

A lone room at the end of the upstairs hallway that you'd yet to visit. Which was rather peculiar because you could have sworn you'd ticked off every-

Oh.

You'd forgotten someone, hadn't you?

You knock on the door, asking for permission to enter and the voice that speaks back to you is one you recognize immediately. The picture was starting to become a bit clearer.

“Hey Tsumugi!”  
  
There she was. Sitting on her bed, long blue hair tossed over her shoulders as she looked down at the floor.

“Oooh, lucky you, you got a room all to yourself, eh?” you're trying to be nice, trying to make it seem like it was a good thing when you knew it wasn't. Tsumugi didn't get this room by pure coincidence. She didn't fight to get a room to herself. 

She didn't have to. No one wanted to be in a room with her – with the mastermind.

“Oh... yeah, I suppose so. There's definitely enough room in here for dress forms without anyone else...” she's trying to smile but you can see the pain in her eyes. 

“Mind if I come in for a bit?”  
  
“Hmm? Oh no, not at all”

“Cool, thanks” you close the door behind you and make your way over to the bed, taking a seat beside her.  
  
“So, how are you feeling about all of this? It feels kind of nice to be given a new start, right?”

“I guess so. It's certainly nice to not be in that academy anymore... but I don't know if I'd call this a new start” Tsumugi sighs.

Your heart crumples in your chest. “What do you mean?” you already knew.

“It's plain to see isn't it? No one trusts me, that's why I'm in here... alone” you notice tears are starting to build at the corner of her eyes. 

“Oh Tsumugi...” you gently wrap an arm around her shoulder, slow enough that she could refuse, but when she crumbles and buries herself in the crook of your neck you know she's not going to push you away. “I'm sorry...”

“What.. should you... be sorry for?” she hiccups in between soft sobs. “I'm... the one... that did this... to myself..”

“Yeah but you weren't in control, Tsumugi. You had no idea what you were doing. You were brainwashed into believing that you were the mastermind, that you wanted to kill your classmates, hell they even made you believe that you'd been working with Team Danganronpa!”

And it was true too.

After everything was said and done you had come to find out that Tsumugi had undergone some type of brainwashing to _persuade_ her to become the mastermind. Apparently a few seasons prior to the 53 rd some of those who had been chosen to become the mastermind started to lose their resolve to kill half way through or actively worked to sabotage the killing game. They could implant memories into people, change their motives and beliefs - their entire outlook on life... but the will to kill someone and be happy with creating so much despair was something not easily gained through implanted memories alone.

So, after an incident where a mastermind almost broke the entire show, they decided those chosen for the mastermind role would go through an intense brain washing to make sure that they went through with what was expected of them.

Tsumugi had been the same. She willingly chose to sign up for the game but she had never worked with Team Danganronpa. She didn't write the script or control anything, in fact she was more of a pawn in all of this than any of you ever were.

Her saving grace was actually how plain she was. Stupidly throwing that shot put ball into the trashcan along with Rantaro's survivor perk had been the key to ending the whole thing. It was what linked her back to the first murder and to being the mastermind.

The writers had made a mistake giving her the memories of their situation being a game show because when she revealed that truth after being backed into a corner, the end of Danganronpa was all but guaranteed.

You had to wonder if that was the real Tsumugi poking through, wanting to help end it all. Of course, how were you to know who the real Tsumugi even was or is? She'd still be given fake memories about being the Ultimate Cosplayer and her whole life as well. Even if she knew Danganronpa was fake that didn't change the fact that she still had no idea who she was before the show, just like the rest of you.

The relief team responsible for your new house and the fact you all made it out of that crazy ass game alive, had also been responsible for reversing Tsumugi's brain washing. It was a gentle process that was going to take time to completely reverse but she seemed to revoke the idea of being the mastermind at least.

Of course, even with all this information, it was hard to absolve her of all of her wrongdoings and she knew that. 

“B-But I... I should have... done something! I should have... known to stop! What kind of person... openly weeps for the death... of a friend... but is... ultimately the cause of it?” her sobs are heavier now.  
  
“Tsumugi we were all changed during that game. I don't know... who we were before, hell I'm still confused if I even know who I am now... but I know we have a choice to make here”

The cosplayer continues to sob... but over time, as minutes pass, those sobs start to lighten. 

  
“...we can either carry on with these new beings we've become and take control... or we can let the fear of not knowing if we'll ever understand what we went through control us...” it was a wild idea and you weren't sure if you were explaining correctly all the thoughts crumpled up inside your head but at the most basic level what you were trying to tell her was: don't worry about the you in the past, it's the you now that matters.

“...does that, make sense?” your voice is sheepish, wondering if you're being to philosophical for this conversation.

“I-In a way, yeah...” she sniffles. 

“Look, I know it's going to take some time for the others to trust you again and it might even take you a long time to even trust yourself. But... no matter how long the road, you're going to get there. You just have to work at it”

“Gee [Name]... you really are the Ultimate Therapist...” she laughs, despite her tears. 

And you laugh, despite the heartache. “Well, at least that's what I've chosen to embrace anyway..”

“I think it's a good thing... you're always so good at helping people, that's plain to see...”

“And you can be too, dear. You just have to give yourself a chance”

Tsumugi sniffles a bit more, fingers reaching up to wipe at her eyes. “I guess you're right...”

“I _am_ right. It's going to take work but the others will trust you again”

“You think so?”

“They better or I'm gonna beat 'em” you joke. Thankfully, it makes her laugh.

“Thank you, [Name]. I really appreciate that you came to check up on me.” she moves away from your shoulder to look up at you with as much of a smile as she can muster.

“No problem, Tsumugi”

“Uhm, if it's alright, I'd like to be alone for a bit. This has all been so much to process and I just need... time to be plainly alone, I think”

“Sure, of course” you concede. “But remember, if you need me, I'm always here”

“Thank you. I really appreciate that”

“Not a problem at all” you smile, making your way over to the door. “Oh! Don't forget to come down later, I imagine we're all probably going to have lunch together” 

“O-Oh... alright...” she looks hesitant.  
  
“Don't worry, I'll put in a good word for ya” you grin. It seems to ease her just a bit as she's able to manage a small smile.

“Okay... thank you....”

You give her a wave and make your way out of her room.

The minute you close the door you notice... the hallway isn't as empty as it once was. In fact it's crowded, very crowded. Crammed tight with 15 people _who had been trying to listen through Tsumugi's door._

Your expression immediately darkens to one of annoyance once you realize what was going on. 

“And ya'll couldn't have come in during that?!” you hiss in a hushed whisper.

“Well, it seemed like you had it under control..” Keebo winces.

“Some help would've been nice, you assholes”

“Sorry...we only heard her crying and when we got up here we heard the two of you talking and...” Kaede doesn't finish her sentence but you understand nonetheless. 

You huff out an annoyed sigh.  
  
“How... is she?” Rantaro asks.  
  
“She thinks you all hate her, obviously” you snap, a bit harsher than you would've liked -and you regret it the moment the adventurer flinches at your tone- but it's not like you could help it.

Maki folds her arms across her chest. “I think we're in our right to be wary of her”

You sigh again. “Look, I know you're right and I get it, okay? I just...” words are hard to formulate right now. 

“We've all been through hell and I know none of us have really recovered at all from what's happened but... we used to be people who wanted to be apart of a killing game, let's not forget that. There are some of us in this room who tried to kill one another. Either way you look at it we're all pretty fucked up”

They grow uncomfortable with the truth, shifting around.

“All I'm saying is – give her a chance. If it turns out that she hasn't changed and this is all another ploy, another lie then you can blame me.” you offer. “After all it's like you always say Kaito 'if I make a bad choice in trusting someone and I get betrayed, it's my own fault' and I'm willing to believe in her”

You notice a soft smile of pride on Kaito's face.

“And after all, we have a human lie detector anyway” you cast a look Kokichi's way. 

He of course, plays dumb, feigning an innocent expression. “Huh? Who's that?”

You roll your eyes, deciding to move on with the conversation. “Anyway, all I'm asking is for you guys to be open minded. We have to be if we want to have any chance for a future”

The air feels a bit more light-hearted now. Your friends are looking between each other with smiles and nods, seemingly agreeing with you.

A chorus of “alrights”, “okays” and “you got its” resound throughout the hall.

“Good, you can start at lunch time then” you smile.

There's a few more exchanges before people start to disperse, making their way to wherever they decide to go. 

Your eyes land on the back of Rantaro's head and you catch him by he sleeve just before he leaves.

“Hey... sorry about snapping at you back there...” you really felt like shit about that.

Rantaro, being the angel he is, offers you a kind smile. “Nah, don't worry about it. I know you didn't mean it.”

“Good, I just wanted to be sure because...”

You know it's sudden and you notice the way he stiffens at first when it happens but...you can't help but wrap him up in your arms. “I really missed you... it was so hard to think you were gone...”

You feel his hands rubbing at your back. “I'm sorry I left you alone like that. That was really uncool of me..”

Before anyone else, Rantaro was the one you'd grown closest to in the game. It was part of the reason why you had bonded so well with Shuichi. At the time he lost Kaede, you'd lost Rantaro – the one person you felt completely at ease with. Even if he had been a little guarded he was always genuine with his feelings and that was something you couldn't help but be drawn to. He made you feel... safe.

“Don't be stupid... you were just trying to help” you mumble, relishing the feeling of having him so close.

“Yeah but I went and got myself in trouble instead, didn't I?” he chuckles. 

“You know what they say about the best laid plans” you laugh.  
  
“Oh, that one certainly went awry” and now you're both laughing.

It feels normal and nice and you could stay in this moment forever. But, at least, even after the laughter dies down and you pull away from each other, you still feel incredibly warm. 

“Well, mister” you put your hands on your hips, as if scolding him. “As punishment for your blunder you're gonna have to fix my nails sometime”

You look down at your hand. “Because let's face it-” you grimace at your torn-to-shit cuticles- “they need help”

He chuckles softly. “That hardly seems like a punishment but I will gladly be of service”

“Good, glad to hear it!”

You two spend a while longer talking, rekindling and reconnecting after such a long time apart.

\--

Lunchtime rolls around eventually... and everyone starts to do the same with Tsumugi. Rekindling, reconnecting... trying to build something out of the awfulness that had come before.

You were positive you could do it together.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies! I hope you're all enjoying your 2 for 1 special today! This one got really angsty and really feelsy but I think this is the chapter I'm second most proud of so I hope you all like it!! 
> 
> I knew Tsumugi was going to be a topic to talk about and I wanted to somehow explain what had gone on in my fic and why she was still around with the other students. I could have just gotten rid of her and not put her in the story but I felt like I could come up with a way to work around that so I did. 
> 
> There's two characters in particular that are going to need chapters dedicated to them to explain what their reality is in this fic (which is Keebo and Korekiyo) and those will come sometime soon, I promise!
> 
> Unfortunately I'm preparing for a convention coming up as well as college and work so I might not be able to get anything out for the next week so hopefully this will suffice!
> 
> Thank you all again so much for reading, I really do appreciate it!


	4. Keebo and his Robot Suit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keebo has been coming to terms with the fact that he's no longer a robot trying to act like a human, but is rather the real deal. What does that do to someone to know that you are what you've been trying to be this entire time? And what kind of thoughts would you have to know that thing you are feels like the thing you just shouldn't be? 
> 
> You become invested in the progress he's made since those thoughts surfaced and you finally get the chance to ask.

Imagine being told that all of your memories, your personality, your morals - everything that made you fundamentally _you_ had all been fabricated. Your experiences never occurred in the realm of reality that your consciousness exists in, you just _remember_ that they did.

Now imagine that, but add to that the concept of not even existing as the type of _being_ you were led to believe that you were. Imagine that you lived a life being something that tried to simulate the existence of another thing and then being told that you are actually the thing you’re trying to simulate. But you’re still learning how to simulate said thing. How would you feel? How convoluted would your identity become? How could you possibly hope to understand what you are? Who you are?

That was the crisis Keebo found himself in after Danganronpa had ended.  

He had been in the hospital for a while after his robotic exoskeleton, along with all the sensors preventing him from noticing the skin underneath it, had been removed. When he woke up to flesh and blood, no more inner voice and pain like he had never before experienced; all the while still filled with the knowledge that he should still be a robot, he broke down.

Everything in his head screamed that he was still a robot, that this was a malfunction, that he still should be acting like a robot trying to simulate a human. He should have electricity in his veins, bolts in his joints and metal surrounding him completely, encasing him like a shell. 

He shouldn’t feel _this level of pain_. This pain that made him want to curl up inside himself and cease to exist.

You and a few other survivors spent days talking to Keebo during that time, after his recovery. He asked a lot of questions about if what he was feeling was “human.” If it was normal for him, as a human, to feel this way. 

 _“Because… as a robot it’s not normal for me to feel like this… but if I am human, then this is normal, yes?” he had said at that time, looking up at you with hopeful eyes._   
  
_You had been sat at the edge of his bed, a sympathetic expression on your face and a gentle hand covering his. “Absolutely. All the pain you’re feeling, the confusion, the emotional hurt… it’s very much normal for a human”_   
  
_“I see…” Keebo mumbled. “Then why… does it all still feel so wrong to me? I feel like I’m malfunctioning, even if I was built to act like a human…”_   
_  
_ “Well that would make sense. Your AI accounted for acting as a human emotionally, not the physical aspects that are involved with being a meat sack” you tried to joke, chuckling softly.  “You said you were still learning how to understand human emotions, so it’s natural that this whole influx of new information and sensations would feel alien or wrong to you”

_Keebo looked at you. There’s expression of utter lostness on his face. “Your logic is sound but… somehow it just doesn’t compute…” he was still talking like a robot._

_“You’re going to have to give it time, Keebo. I know being lost in this whirlwind must be incredibly defeating but… you’ll get through it. And you won’t be alone. Myself and the others will be here for you all the way” you smiled, running a thumb over his knuckles._

_He visibly shivers at the action but he looks to you with a softer expression than before. “Thank you, [Name]. That certainly helps...”_

\- - - - 

It had been a while since that conversation.

You, along with the majority of the group, had started college -much to your collective dismay-  and currently you had just finished an outline to start an essay.

“Guess I better go see if the computer's free…” you yawn, sitting at yours and Shuichi's shared desk.

You raise your arms above your head, stretching them as far as they could go and feeling relief as your joints pop in different places, releasing built up tension.

“You should really eat something first. You're going to get a headache if you go much longer without food” Shuichi chides, looking at you with an expression of concern.

You can’t help but laugh as your stomach gives out a loud growl at the very concept of eating something. You had a habit of embedding yourself into tasks or problems and becoming so engrossed that all thought of self preservation vanished until you completed them. Hence Shuichi’s worry. “Yeah, you’re probably right. I can hear the abyss screaming at me”

“You should’ve eaten long before then” he sighs. “You’re going to get sick if you don’t take care of yourself, you know?” 

“I know, I know” you sigh, waving him off. You appreciate the concern, you really do. You just hate to make him worry with your bad habits but this was one you couldn’t seem to shake and you felt disappointed with yourself for that. “Thank you for worrying though”

“Someone has to” he huffs softly.

“Well if it’s got to be anyone, I’m glad it’s you” you smile, stepping over to ruffle his hair. “Do you want anything?”

Shuichi suddenly seems very interested in book, eyes glued to the pages. “N-No thank you. I ate earlier”

“Alright, enjoy your book then” you say finally, making your way to step out of your shared room.

Upon stepping out of the room you notice the computer’s free, which was a welcomed rarity in this house but you also notice something else. It’s Keebo. He’s sitting at the kitchen counter, staring boredly at a bowl of salad, tossing the leaves around with his fork.

“Hey Keebo” you call softly as you step out to place your school materials onto the computer table.

The white haired boy jumps in his seat, clearly startled, before his eyes find you and when they do, he settles. “Oh… hello, [Name]. I didn’t hear you come in” he coughs, trying to readjust himself.

You chuckle politely “Yeah, you seemed pretty absorbed in that salad”

Keebo’s expression falls at the mention of his current bowl of food. “I don’t know if absorbed would be the proper term….”

“Hmm?” you quirk an eyebrow. “Then what would be, exactly?”

“Perhaps..” he seems a bit hesitant to answer. “...exasperated?”

“Exasperated? Why’s that?”

“Well it’s just that… as you know, in coming to terms with the fact that I am, indeed a human, I have also had to figure out how to maintain this body and one of those methods is eating”

“Right, yeah, of course I remember. Rui was the one who put you on more of a vegetable based diet to start you off so your stomach wouldn’t flip out. They’re assuming you probably didn’t eat very much on the show so starting you off with bulky foods probably would’ve messed you up a bit” you recount.

On top of all that, Keebo’s current brain was actually rather new to eating even if he had been doing it his whole life. The brain was crux of the body and if he’d been tricked into believing he was a robot, no matter how much he needed food to survive in reality, in his consciousness the action would still feel wrong. Therefore, starting him off with bulky, hard to digest foods would likely make the transition back into a healthy routine rather difficult.

“Right. And while I am grateful for their efforts and for thinking of me, eating the same things everyday is… starting to feel more like a chore. Like mandatory maintenance”

“Hmm? So do you mean… the food is boring?”

Keebo sighs. “In so many words, yes”

“Well that’s an easy fix!” you smile. “We just need to switch up your diet a little!”

“Ah, I know that’s the logical solution but… I’m at a loss on what to start with. While it’s likely I’ve probably eaten an abundance of things throughout my life, this version of me doesn’t remember that. So, I’m not entirely sure what I could stomach other than what I’m currently eating now” he sighs once more, head sinking down into his palm.

“Hmm…” you scour your brain for basic foods that you knew you liked, that Keebo could possibly try.

“Actually, I was just about to make myself something to eat before I get started on this essay” you mention. “I was probably just going to make some chicken and mashed potatoes. It’s really simple and easy on the stomach so you’re welcome to try some if you’d like!”

“Really?” there’s this curious, hopeful shine in Keebo’s eyes.  “Well, if you wouldn’t mind I’d like that very much”

“I don’t mind at all! Especially if it’ll help you out” you smile, making your way over to the kitchen. You start gathering the ingredients - thankful Kirumi hadn’t put the chicken you left out to thaw back in the freezer - and set them up on the counter.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Keebo asks.

“Mm… do you know how to work a grill?” you inquire.

“Ah, I have the general knowledge of how one works… but I’ve never used one myself” he admits.

“It’s actually really easy, I could probably just show you”

“That would be much appreciated! Thank you [Name]!”

You can’t help but chuckle at him just a little. “It’s fine, no worries”

You, reach down and pull the small grill out from the cabinets, underneath the drawers. You go about setting the whole thing up and later, hand Keebo a pair of tongs. 

“So generally what you want to do is take a piece of chicken, throw it on the grill, close the lid and wait until the chicken has grill marks on it. Then flip it over and do the same to the other side”

“How often should I check to make sure it hasn’t burned?”

“I’d say like every 30 seconds? I usually just check it whenever I feel like it but for a beginner I think that’s a good average. Think you can do that?”

“Absolutely! I can handle this!” there’s a look of confidence in his eyes that makes you smile. Keebo hadn’t looked so sure about anything in such a long time, it was nice to see him get so excited about something.

“Alright, I’m counting on you! And if you need help, I’ll be right over here”

You both set to work, making your respective foods and chatting amongst each other to pass the time. You never really got to spend much time with Keebo at the academy so it was nice to do it now in a much more relaxed, low-risk setting. He really was very easy to talk to and you wished you had taken advantage of that when you found yourself at odds with things whilst still in the killing game. But, then again, maybe it was better to get to know him now, like this.

“So, how are you adjusting?” you ask, letting the potatoes boil. “To the whole being-a-human thing, that is”

“About as well as can be expected, I suppose…” Keebo responds, holding the grill down. “It’s starting to sink a lot more now. There are things about myself I can’t just pass off as malfunctions. They require attention and the more attention I give them the easier it is to feel like it’s real, in a sense anyway”

“That makes sense but what kinds of things?” you’re genuinely curious at this point.

“Well, eating for one. During the game I had sensors inside of my suit that sent signals to my brain and convinced it that I didn’t need to eat as much as I actually did, making it easier to believe that I had never experienced it before. Now, with those sensors gone hunger is something I very much have to pay attention to” Keebo explains.

“I’m surprised you didn’t, like, _feel_ the hunger though. Wouldn’t your stomach get upset after a while?”

Keebo looks a bit downtrodden as old memories are dug up. “I... had a multitude of sensors in my suit that worked to block out pain. And if I did feel pain I was rewired to feel like it was a hot vibration or a sharp screeching sound depending on the infliction. Those were normally indicators that something was wrong with me”

_Jesus Christ… they really went through a lot of lengths to make sure this kid really thought he was a robot… how cruel._

“Geez louise Keebo, I had no idea. That must’ve been really hard to take in…” you sympathize, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. He doesn't flinch at the contact like he used to, you notice. In fact he kind of eases into your touch. 

“It was for a while… but it’s gotten easier” he turns and offers you a small smile. “This might sound strange but… every time I feel this sort of pain I’m all the more reminded of how human I actually am”

“Ohoho, didn’t know you were a masochist there, Keebs” you joke, trying to lighten the mood.

Keebo’s expression suddenly turns urgent, red filling in his pale cheeks as his eyes widen. “P-Please don’t misunderstand! That’s not what I mean at all, I just-” 

“Relax, Keebo I’m just teasing you. I know what you mean. Pain is something that equalizes all creatures on this planet, it would make sense you would feel that way”

Keebo lets out a breath of relief. “I’m glad you understand…”

“I do.” you smile.  “Oh, check the chicken by the way. I’m sure it’s done by now”

Keebo lifts open the grill and much like you said, they were ready. Both sides had these delicious looking grill marks that made your stomach growl just looking at them.

“Nice job, Keebo! For your first time I think you did very well”

“Oh, well, thank you for giving me a chance” he smiles. “And for helping me out. I really appreciate it”   
  
“No problem at all” you beam. “You can bring those off to the table, I’m gonna finish off the potatoes”

Keebo nods definitively and sets about preparing plates and separating equal portions of chicken onto each. Once you had finished preparing the mashed potatoes the both of you sat down to eat. 

“You can go first, I wanna know if you like them!” you offer, gesturing to his plate.   
  
“Oh, well, if you insist” Keebo digs a fork into a piece of chicken and brings it to his lips.   
  
You watch with bated breath as he starts chewing, eyes fixating on random parts of the ceiling as he registers this newfound taste. He doesn’t say anything at first, instead swallowing and going right in for a bite of the potatoes.

You wonder, at first, if maybe he didn’t like the chicken and he was checking to see if the other dish would be any better. At least that was until-

“This is amazing! I know these are basic dishes but they taste incredible!” his eyes are sparkling as he digs his fork into more chicken.

You’re laughing a little. He was just too cute and you were just so glad he liked it. “Well when you’ve been eating nothing but salads and Cheerios for the last three months I’m sure something like that would taste amazing”

Keebo swallows the bit of food he was chewing. “I suppose that is indeed also true” he chuckles.

“Regardless, I’m really glad you like it! Now you can slowly start exploring other foods until you figure out what works best for you!”

“Yes! I’m very much excited to take that journey!” Keebo announces with a determined look on his face. 

It’s the most lively you’ve seen him in months. You’re glad. You’re glad that after everything that’s happened he found a way to bounce back. You remember what he looked laying in that hospital bed covered in wounds and gashes, all tied up in gauze and bandages. The doctors looking after him had said it had been a miracle that he even survived being torn from his suit. There were so many sensors and modifications made to it that it was almost like apart of him, like an extra skin. They were surprised that with all the changes made to his brain that he was still capable of cognitive thought after the equipment causing those changes were removed. Yet here he was, smiling and learning how to be human again.

“Although, I have to thank you, [Name]”

You quirk an eyebrow at his suddenly declaration. “Huh? Me? Why’s that?”   

“While I’m grateful for everyone’s concern, you have been the most invested in my recovery, or rather - everyone’s recovery and for that I am extremely grateful”

You feel this soft warmth cradling your heart to hear those words. It’s true you did invest a lot of your time into helping the others. Whether it was because of your programmed nature or otherwise didn’t matter to you, what mattered to you was your housemates, your friends. You wanted to see them grow beyond their pain and achieve whatever goals they set for themselves.

“Ah well, I am the Ultimate Therapist. I guess it’s in my nature” you giggle.

“But that is something you could choose to leave behind if you wanted” Keebo starts, catching your attention.

“After all that’s been revealed you could have easily cast that part of yourself aside and chose to be selfish or far more concerned with your own well being but instead… you’ve chosen to stay the same. Even after everything, you still want to help. At first, while I found myself wallowing in my self pity, I didn’t completely understand your choice. But as I am now, it makes more sense to me. I want to help to so please…” he looks to you with a soft smile.

“If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. It’s the least I can do after all of this”

The warm feeling in your chest spreads, growing softer and more inviting with every word.

“Thank you, Keebo. That really means a lot to me” you smile at him something truly genuine and heartfelt. It was as real as the emotions you were feeling right now.

“Of course” he nods. “That being said… is, there anything I can do for you?” he asks.

“Hmm…” you place a finger to your cheek, tapping it in thought. Was there something he could do for you? Come to think of it… 

“Actually I was just about to start an essay after this. Would you mind sitting with me and going over my outline with me? I can do it myself but sometimes it’s easier to have someone to reflect ideas off of”  
  
“Absolutely! If that is all you require, then I can certainly be of use!”

“That’s great, Keebo. Thank you!” you smile. “But let’s finish eating before it gets cold”

Keebo laughs sheepishly. “Ah, yes, that would probably be a good idea”

And so, after having eaten, you spent much of your afternoon beside Keebo, reflecting on your thoughts for your essay and getting his feedback. It wasn’t the most exciting but just the fact that it was so domestic and calm made it feel far more relaxing.

You reckon you would write a thousand more essays, if it meant more days like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo-hoo! New chapter in a timely manner! 
> 
> So obviously Kee-boy is our subject today and I felt like this chapter was a long time coming. This chapter was a lot of fun to write because I feel like I really got to explore Keebo psychologically and it was just fun tbh. This fic was originally going to be a couple of hospital visits between Keebo and the reader and I may revisit that idea at a later time but I wanted to clear up if Keebo was a human or a robot in this fic and now you got your answer! He's a real boy! 
> 
> Anyway, thank you guys so much for reading I hope this series is still entertaining and fun to read and hopefully I can get to either some incredibly mushy or incredibly angsty stuff soon since I feel like this chapter kind of rounded itself out. We shall see! 
> 
> Prequel is still being heavily debated. I've started working on it in my head and I want to make sure it deviates a from the canon in a sense so that you're not just going through the whole game again in the perspective of the reader because that might get tiresome after a while. 
> 
> Anyway I hope you guys have a great day! Stay safe if you're in the middle of this asshole snow storm we're getting! 
> 
> *Oh P.S. this chapter will be moved up in order after a few days to keep things somewhat chronological!


	5. Where Have you Gone, my Other Half? [Korekiyo]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for dinner. Everyone is happily chatting away, waiting eagerly for Kirumi's next masterpiece. But someone's missing from the roster, someone hasn't turned up for dinner. Upon further inspection, you realize it's Korekiyo. He's holed up in his room still, working on something according to Ryoma. 
> 
> Just what's got him so preoccupied? You don't think you can eat until you've found out.
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: There is mentions of attempted suicide in this chapter. Not by either of the major characters but it is there so please be warned and be safe.

!IMPORTANT! Please read description for trigger warnings. Thank you.

  
  
  
  
  


The sounds of soft chatter is starting to fill the room. It occupies a friendly space next to a delicious aroma and fills in the cracks where uncomfortable silence may linger. The gentle warmth from the oven carries with it a feeling of homeliness as thick raindrops cascade outside, knocking against the windows. The warmth feels like protection, like an embrace or a kind word. It makes this place feel safer, more like home. 

You’re sitting on the couch, taking in the atmosphere as everyone else contributes to setting the mood. 

Kirumi has been making dinner, along with some help from a few other housemates, and the aroma is rousing the remainder out of their rooms, in search of this delicious treasure. There’s a chorus of praise filling the area as everyone starts to take their place at the rather large kitchen table that stretches almost the entire length of the dining room. 

“That smells delicious, guys!” Kaito grins from his place at the head of the table, a spot he conveniently chose when you all first arrived in this place. 

Angie clasps her hands together, nose turned upright towards the smell and her eyes are shut in gentle bliss. “It smells divine! I can’t wait to try it!” 

The rest of the chatter sounds about the same, reflecting in different ways based on who was speaking but the sentiment was mutual. This food smelled absolutely delicious and it was making your collective stomachs gurgle and twist, eager to get a bite. 

“Well, then you’ll be happy to know it’s almost ready” Kirumi smiles softly, a small gleam of pride shone gently in her eyes. 

“Thank God I’m starving” says Ryoma. 

“Me too. I’ve been working non stop on my next best invention! I need something to fill me up and give me more brain juice!” Miu cackles from her place at the table. 

No one dares to ask what her “next best invention” might be. Asking is like offering yourself to be her personal guinea pig when she’s finished it. You would know from personal experience and while Miu hadn’t subjected you to anything too harsh you never knew when she was going to decide to build something weird that probably vibrated. 

You’re looking about the table, watching as everyone converses. They all look so happy, so lively and…hang on. Someone was missing. 

“Hey, has anyone seen Kiyo?” you ask, gathering the attention of your peers. 

“He was still in our room when I came out” Ryoma shrugs. “He’s been working on something most of the day. Looks like a novel, maybe? When I asked him about it he didn’t say too much” 

A novel? While it wasn’t your place to say that Korekiyo didn’t seem like the type of person that would devote an entire day to writing a novel -unless it was a documentary on anthropology- it did strike you a bit odd that that was what he had been spending all day doing. 

“He should still come out and eat something” you huff, pulling yourself up from the couch. 

It was a short walk to Korekiyo’s room given it was located in the downstairs area of your two story house. You stretch out a hand and knock softly on the door. “Kiyo?” you call. “Dinner’s almost ready, why don’t you come out?” 

There’s no response. 

You try knocking again. No response. 

The respectful thing would be to just leave him to his devices but the you thing to do is to worry that something’s going on and act on those feelings. Therefore, you find yourself gently opening his door, peering inside as soundlessly as you can. 

He’s there, just like Ryoma said, sat at their shared desk and writing away. He only stops when the door is almost halfway open, to look up at you with some sort of expression that looks questioning but also a little annoyed. 

“Ah, [Name], to what do I owe the honor?” you can tell he’s trying to sound cordial but the slightly irritated tick in his voice makes him sound far more sarcastic. 

“Sorry to bother you, Kiyo, but dinner’s almost ready.” you inform him. “I haven’t seen heads or tails of you today so I figured you might be hungry” you laugh, trying to shake off this feeling that you were bothering him. 

“Is that so? Well, thank you for that information. I’ll be joining you shortly” he says and turns back to his notebook. 

It’s awkward. Korekiyo is not acting at all like himself. He’s distant, short and you can immediately tell there’s something going on with him. But the question is, do you press him? Do you keep bothering him or let him be? 

Your instinct gets the better of you. 

“Hey, Kiyo? I’m sorry if I’m being a bother but I’m curious about what you’ve got there. Writing is one of my hobbies too so forgive me if I’m being nosy” you chuckle, trying your best to wedge yourself in but not be so forceful that he feels like he has to be defensive. 

“I can assure you that this is probably of no interest to you.” he states curtly. 

His tone is so sharp you actually find yourself wincing in the wake of his sentence. “Ah…well, I mean whatever it is, I’d be interested. I won’t force you to show me though…”

There’s silence for a while. He’s not looking at you, instead opting to keep his gaze focused on the notebook in front of him. You’re standing in the doorway, feeling terribly out of place and half considering that his silence might be his unspoken hint for you to leave. 

That is of course until…

“It’s… rather personal, actually. I don’t know if it’s something I could share with you directly” his tone is far softer this time. The air about him is questioning, like he seems to be considering something.

“That’s fine. I understand” you nod. “Like I said I won’t force you, Kiyo.”

He takes a moment. “I suppose I would like to discuss it however... if that’s alright with you?” he asks you. His tone has softened, the curt cut of his sentence dulled in such a way that you can’t help but be curious about why this document has him acting so temperamental. 

“Sure, of course” you agree. 

You poke your head out of the room briefly to signal to your awaiting housemates that you’ll be a moment. They look concerned - Korekiyo has never been regarded as the safest among the household - but you wave off their furrowed brows and hesitant frowns. 

“Just give us a second” you say, encouraging them with a smile before closing the door. 

Your feet find themselves inching closer to Korekiyo until you’re but a small distance from him. You can’t make out the words on the notebook and you’ve left this space purposefully between the two of you so that he doesn’t feel cornered. 

“So, what did you want to discuss?” you ask. 

“Well…” he opens his mouth but almost immediately closes it again. He seems to be at a loss for how to go about talking about this. 

You’re thinking about possibly rephrasing your question. Sometimes when there’s a broad range of things to talk about, the main issue gets lost by all the little things that need to be explained first and you can tell by his hesitancy that there’s a lot of explaining that needs to be done. Although just as you’re about to open your mouth, his once previously closed one starts moving.  
“When you were given your memories did they implant a singular person who was very special to you? Was there anyone who had such a large impact on your life? To the point where you might consider them the very reason your current self even exists?” 

The question immediately stirs up a mix of thoughts and feelings. Your mind is already searching your fabricated past but it’s not like you have to look too far. Back at the academy you had talked to a couple of people about this person. But among the few conversations you and Korekiyo did have, that person had never been the subject. 

“Yes actually..” you respond. His attention is suddenly far more focused on you than it was before. There’s this… expression in his eyes but you can’t quite make out if it’s hope or surprise, maybe it was both but either way it was an expression you had yet to see from him. 

You go on, taking his attentive silence as a que. “I had this one friend, Hanako, she was going through a really rough time. Her parents were incredibly hard on her and I think such a tense environment either created her depression or spurred it on. Regardless it certainly didn’t help. One day, it got far too much for her and she...” 

You sigh, thinking back on these cruel memories. How awful to have the audacity to give someone that kind of experience…

“She didn’t get the chance to go through with it, but she was trying to kill herself. I found her in her room with a noose around her neck… she’d just been about to kick the chair out from under her…” 

No matter how fake it was… every time you were forced to recall this memory it only grew more vivid, more tangible. The more you were forced to remember, the more real it became. Hanako may not exist but the idea of what she represented to you was so undeniably real.

“I talked with her for what felt like hours. I felt like I’d been holding my breath the whole time… it was the worst I’d ever felt. But I told her what I thought might help her. I tried to help her work through things, try to see things differently. It took so long but… she finally came down after a while. She took off the rope and she just cried..” you feel tears prick at the corners of your eyes. 

“That moment was what inspired me to go into psychology, it’s what spurred me on to become the Ultimate Therapist. I thought if I could help her maybe I could help others too. I know those memories aren’t real but… they still feel real. You can’t erase something like that no matter how hard you try to logic it out…” 

As you wipe the tears from your eyes you notice that there’s a different emotion swirling in Korekiyo’s eyes now. It’s something of sympathy, understanding. 

“I see…” he mumbles. “So then I suppose you might understand…”  
You’re feeling a multitude of things right now but at the forefront of that parade of emotions is curiosity. What exactly might you understand? You had an idea of what he might be talking about but not the full picture. 

“Since you were present during my trial you might remember what I had said about my sister, yes?” 

How could you ever forget? Of all the things that had happened at that academy, of all the lunacy and sheer ridiculousness of it all, his trial was one thing you couldn’t ever get out of your mind. 

“Yeah, I think everyone does if I’m being honest…” 

His eyes narrow and once you realize how insensitive that must have sounded your mouth contorts into an apologetic smile. “Sorry…” 

He sighs, relaxing his face. “I suppose it can’t be helped. I recognize now how unusual it must’ve been for everyone else but to me… that was all I knew. Even now it’s still... all I know”

It’s the first time you’ve heard him sound so genuinely broken. There’s a somberness in his voice that resonates so deeply within your heart and you want nothing more than to reach out and hold him. Everyone had their fair share of demons to sort out after leaving the show but Korekiyo had definitely been given a truly unfair amount of monsters to deal with. 

“All I know is my sister and how much I love her, even if she’s not real.” he sounds unshakable in that moment but it immediately crumbles into something far more frail as he continues to speak. “Yet... it’s that exact fact that’s beginning to sever the connection I once had with her. Every morning I wake in this house I’m reminded that she doesn’t exist and I can no longer conjure her to comfort me in the times where I need it. That’s why….” 

His fingers trace over the pages of the notebook at his desk, fondly regarding the words written on them. 

“I’ve been trying to write to her instead and write in general. I thought that perhaps if I shared my thoughts with her in this way, then it might be more effective than keeping them in my head” he explains. 

It’s all too clear why that journal was so personal to him. In essence, Korekiyo’s very being was scattered all across those pages. His fears, doubts, anxieties. They were all there. All him.

“I know that she does not exist but as you said it is hard to erase something so precious to you no matter how much logic dictates that you should…” 

You are at a loss for what to say. Your own words are staring back at you and you don’t know how to work around them. The softer side of you wants to tell him that it’s alright to believe in his sister, to believe in the concept of what she means to him. If it weren’t for how unhealthy that concept was and the undoubtedly manipulative person his sibling was designed to be - if the fact her ‘spirit’ throwing salt on him was anything to go off of - you would have. But you couldn’t in good conscience tell him to keep loving her and you didn’t know if you bringing this up now would make him shut you out or if it would come off as insensitive. 

So… maybe you could say something else. Something that was truthful and that might help him move away from his sister without hurting him in some way. 

“Well, if I may offer a bit of personal advice-” 

His attention turns to you once more. 

“While Hanako is still very real to me she exists more as an… idea now. She reminds me that I have people around me who are hurting and that may need my help. I may not have talked someone down from suicide and maybe my advice is only mediocre at best but I can still give it. That’s why even if I have the option, I won’t turn away from pursuing being a therapist. These feelings may have been falsely implanted in me but I still believe in them because I feel my cause is just.” 

“Perhaps, you could think of your sister in a similar way? She could be an idea of sorts. You use her as a means of comfort and protection. She’s someone who makes you feel loved. Perhaps you could apply those feelings to something else? You could develop that idea into a tangible thing. Maybe start doing things that can help you feel more comfortable with yourself so that you might not need her as such a strong support.”

He doesn’t say anything but the look on his face conveys a thousand words. He wants to say ‘how could I possibly even know where to begin? Love myself? Love something that’s not her? I could never. She’s my everything’ but you catch him in those words. You catch him and assure him that he’s already begun the process. 

“I think you’re on the right track with that notebook” you smile, gesturing to the object. 

“Perhaps, after a while, instead of writing to her you could start talking with yourself. It could be a self reflection journal” you offer. “I’m not saying now but maybe in the future, when you feel more stable” 

You can’t in your right mind outright tell him to just forget about his sister because the idea of her is unhealthy, that’s not how recovery and therapy work. There are people who still harbor lingering love for their abusers long after they’ve left them because of the imprint they’ve left on their lives. If you want someone in that situation to get better you have to promote positivity and assure them that they can get better, not force them to change their feelings and make them feel negatively about being manipulated. You can’t tell someone they allowed themselves to be hurt because it was never their choice to begin with. 

“I’m…. not sure how much that helps but it’s the best advice I can give” you offer him a half hearted smile. Half hearted only because you know that’s all you can do for him at the moment. 

“We’ve been given an awfully unfair truth to face and dealing with those things is going to take a long ass time… but I think we’ll be able to, eventually” 

Your mouth finally closes and you stop to allow him some room to speak. However, he doesn’t take the opportunity immediately. In the quiet of the room you’re wondering if something you might have said hurt his feelings or tipped him off about the underlying meaning behind your advice. You start to wonder if maybe you shouldn’t have said anything at all, if you should’ve just let this be like he had been trying to get you to do from the git go. 

Then he speaks. 

“I suppose that is something I could attempt…in the future...” he says, sounding hesitant almost. You understand though. He’s incredibly reluctant to let the idea of her go. To let her go. Korekiyo is someone that you could analyze as someone with incredibly shaky confidence. He’s built like a Jenga tower and one little peg knocked off could send him spiraling. You’d witnessed it in his trial. The confident, sophisticated anthropologist you had come to accept as reality fell apart as soon as he was caught and the only thing that brought his drowning sanity back up for air was the sister that didn’t exist, neither in life or in death. 

How do you let your pillar of support go? How do you grab a hammer and knock it down of your own volition? 

When you realize you don’t need it anymore. That it’s rotted and only making holes in your foundation. 

“That’s all I ask” you smile, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I know how much she must mean to you and it’s going to take a while to let her go… but I think you can do it” 

He doesn’t recoil like you thought he might. Then again, he’d let you in thus far, why shrink away now? 

He seems to scoff just a bit, shaking his head. “You put an unbelievable amount of faith in people don’t you?” 

You shrug, still keeping your smile. “I suppose so. I know that everyone has the ability to change and better themselves…. sometimes it just takes someone believing in them.” 

He’s soft again. “Is that right?” he asks. “Am I to understand that means you… believe in me?” the idea sounds almost foreign to him. 

“Definitely. In fact I believe in everyone here.” 

“I’m not sure if that makes you incredibly optimistic or incredibly naive” 

You can’t help but laugh at that. In your memories you had heard similar sentiments many times over. It was a sentiment you couldn’t help but find humorous. 

“That’s not the first time I’ve heard that and while I can’t say which it is for certain, you’re welcome to believe whichever you want” 

“I think I’ll wait to reserve judgement on that until a later point in time” there’s a smirk in his voice, caked in a tone of amusement. It’s the first time you think you’ve ever heard him try to make anything akin to a joke and it puts bubbles in your chest. 

You laugh once more. “And you’re absolutely entitled to that” 

“However, I think it’s time for food. That smell is getting really hard to ignore and so is my stomach” you chuckle. 

“Yes, I would have to agree. I haven’t left this desk for some time so my stomach is rather empty as well” he agrees. He gently closes the cover of his book before getting to a standing. He’d spent so long crouched at that desk that you almost forget how incredibly tall this boy was but you’re quickly reminded as his thin body is suddenly towering over you. 

Although this time, it’s far less creepy than it used to be. Now it was just… Kiyo. 

“Let’s get going then, I’m starving!” you turn around, making your way to the door. You don’t get very far though before you feel a hand on your shoulder, beckoning you to stay. 

Stopped in your tracks, you cast a glance over your shoulder at the tall boy. “What’s up, Kiyo?” 

He leans in, clothed mouth uncomfortably close to your ear that’s turned out towards him. You can feel his breath on your neck. The sensation sends a shiver down your spine and find that those previous bubbles in your chest are starting to expand.  
“Thank you for your time, [Name]. It was very much appreciated” 

The words sound so simple. They sound so basic and effortless but… it’s all about the delivery. This close, this intimately close with his mouth at your ear like he was sharing with you his most cherished, important secret. It’s in these actions that you realize how genuine he was being, how much of himself he had allowed himself to share with you. 

“O-Oh…” you’re floundering. It’s something you’re not used to. “Of course! I’m glad I could help!” you squeak, trying not to look like a complete idiot even though your racing heart was practically screaming exactly that from within your chest. 

“Perhaps… we could speak more often?” 

“I think I’d like that…” 

That night you sat next to Korekiyo at dinner. It wasn’t your normal spot by any means but if you had learned anything from tonight it was that norms were meant to be broken. 

Sometimes, all you had to do was believe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy ass, welcome to therapy with Skriiver LOL 
> 
> This chapter got real serious, real fast and I knew this one was going to be a bit deeper and have a very similar feel to Keebo's chapter just because of the nature of it but I feel like this was a jump up from just that. It's not really angsty and it's definitely not fluffy but maybe this sheds some light on how Kiyo eventually starts to become a more healthy minded individual that's not in love with his sister. That's what this chapter was for mostly. 
> 
> In case it wasn't clear enough it is my headcanon that if the characters backstories were actually real that Kiyo's sister is incredibly manipulative and being that she was sick she latched onto Kiyo as the one thing she could control and bend to her will and beyond the incestuousness being unhealthy as is, that is also supremely unhealthy behavior (especially considering her 'spirit' literally threw salt on his ass like damn that's actually gross). So, I've kind of incorporated that headcanon into this and that's why reader mentions that they believe his sister was probably designed to be an assbag LOL 
> 
> ANYWAY I hope you guys like this chapter, I'm actually quite proud of it, I like diving into the character's psyche but I do hope to be writing more actual like relationship stuff rather than the reader just playing therapist all the time so hopefully next chapter will be about that now that I've cleared up the lose ends that /I/ feel are the most important to this story. 
> 
> As always please leave me suggestions on what you would like to see or what you would like me to explore! I promise, even though I haven't fulfilled any of them yet I am always taking your suggestions into consideration and it means the world to me that you guys are invested in this. It makes my whole day when you guys comment, you're all a lovely bunch of beans and I hope you guys have an awesome day!


	6. Concerning Heat Lamps and Hot Cocoa [Mixed]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You were snuggled up, reading a detective novel with Shuichi. 
> 
> However, a small friend decides to pay a little visit and sends the whole house into an uproar.
> 
> It's an unorthadox morning, but, you can't say it isn't normal.
> 
> Characters Featured in Chapter:  
> Shuichi, Kokichi, Miu, Tsumugi and Gonta.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was literally supposed to be a chapter about how the crew had come to a unified conclusion that Gonta is the designated "bug remover friend" but my stupid ass decided to put Kokichi in the scene and since he's one of my favs it wasn't going to end without him having some spotlight. I hope I did his character justice he can be tricky to write for sometimes. 
> 
> Also, if you don't notice, I love Miu and her colorful language very, very much.
> 
> Slight omasai if you squint (it's a popular ship so I thought i'd throw it in for funsies) but let's be real this house is full of hormones and a lot of people in it have banged, including you the reader.

The faint chill of fall sweeps in to play and forces everyone to put on their jackets, coats and thermal underwear. It sent people to warm cups of tea and hot cocoa. The chilly air invading houses gave lovers the perfect excuse to cuddle up under a warm blanket and do absolutely nothing.  
  
That's exactly what you were doing.  
  
You were snuggled up with your favorite detective, head resting on his shoulder as the two of you silently read a novel about his particular pursuit of interest. Shuichi was always so invested in these kinds of stories and you really couldn't blame him. What some of the writers came up with in these books was amazingly creative and you couldn't help but find yourself immersed as well.  
  
Given you'd been reading with Shuichi since the early hours of the morning, you're more than half way through the book. You had just finished the ending of the sixth chapter which leaves off on a juicy little cliffhanger as the detective is just about to reveal who they think the culprit has been all this time.  
  
Shuichi is about to turn the page, eager to continue, but that's when you gently put your hand on the book, preventing him from doing so.  
  
"Wait, I want to know who you think it is first!” you smile, nuzzling your cheek against his.  
  
"A-Ah, really? W-well I wouldn't want to spoil it…”  
  
"Babe” he stiffens a little, fluster taking over at the nickname. “We're gonna find out who it is in a second anyway. I'd rather hear your thoughts first!”  
  
"You do..?”

“Of course! I like hearing how your mind works” you coo, pressing a kiss to his reddening cheeks. “I know the book is going to explain it anyway but I like hearing it from you”

“Oh…” there's a soft expression on his face. He’s got this gentle shine of pride in his eyes that looks so damn adorable with those red cheeks of his.

“In that case-”  
  
In just that moment a loud shriek comes from the kitchen. It sounds like Kokichi. It's followed by several more screams that sound like Miu and Tsumugi.    
  
A familiar feeling of dread washes over you. Those screams trudge up old memories that make your blood run cold. You almost expect to hear a body discovery announcement within the next few minutes and it makes you want to throw up.  
  
“What the fuck was that…” your legs are already moving, against your will, climbing you off of Shuichi's bed. He's quick to follow suit.  
  
In the forefront of your mind you know it's probably something stupid but the memories you've forced yourself to contain within the depths of your mind are always there, gently taunting you that this might all be a dream and that you might wake up back in the killing game. It's irrational, you know, but it's not a thought you can control yet.  
  
You swing open the door to your shared bedroom, half expecting something, but when that something doesn't happen, your nerves calm.  
  
The first thing you notice is Kokichi. He's... sitting on the dining room table. His legs are defensively pulled up to his body and he's staring at the ground.  
  
You then notice Tsumugi and Miu cowering in fear on the couch. They're heads are just peeking over the back of the thing and they too, are staring at the ground in utter fear.  
  
“Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod where the FUCK DID IT GO?” Miu shrieks, eyes darting all over the floor.  
  
“I-I don't know! It was under the table a minute ago!” Tsumugi stutters, sweat breaking out on her forehead.  
  
You have no idea what the hell is going on.  
  
“What the fuck is going on in here, this day?” you ask, looking between your three frightened housemates.  
  
Once Kokichi notices you he immediately straightens out his posture and dons that signature fake smile of his you've come to recognize. He's trying to play coy but you've already caught him.  
  
“My beloved [Name] and Shuichi! How nice of you to join us!” he beams. “These two were just freaking out over a little bug” he laughs, pointing to the girls on the couch.  
  
“Excuse me you little midget, we weren't the only ones! You practically threw yourself onto that table the minute you saw it!” Miu chides.  
  
“Y-You screamed louder than we did!” Tsumugi agrees.  
  
“Oh, that?” Kokichi waves them off. “I was just doing that to make you guys feel better. I knew you'd be suuuper embarrassed if you were the only ones to freak out over a tiny, wittle bug” he teases.

“H-How does that makes any sense?”

“It doesn't! He's just fucking lying, like always!” Miu growls.

Kokichi feigns an innocent expression. “Non non, it's the truth”  
  
“Suck my ass, Ouma! You're just as terrified as we are!”  
  
“Ugh, God no. I don't know a single person who would willingly suck your ass, Miu”  
  
The exchange is hilarious, honestly, but for all the panic you had gone through coming out here, you would much rather just close the door on this situation and go back to snuggling with Shuichi. That was a much more pleasant experience.  
  
“OKAY” you speak, pointedly, as you clap your hands together to get their attention. “All of that aside. Am I to understand we have a bug problem, currently?”  
  
“Ding, ding, ding you got it, [Name]! You're so smart!” it sounds like he's praising you but knowing Kokichi, it might be sarcastic. Or he might just be trying to draw you away from the fact he's still _scrunched up on the table in absolute fear_.

“Why don't we just get Gonta, then?” Shuichi suggests, ever the voice of reason.  
  
You know how every household, relationship or friendship has that person who's bravery has no bounds? Who will willingly take care of any little critters that pop up to ruin the day? Well, for you guys, that was Gonta.  
  
Of course it wasn't so much that he was being brave, more so the fact that if he didn't take care of them they would inevitably be squished, and that would break his little, gentleman heart.

One time Tenko bitch slapped (or rather neo-aikido-ed) a spider into the wall so hard it's exoskeleton shattered like an iPhone with a broken face and poor Gonta spent the whole day crying. He only came out after you and Kaede had calmed him down enough to talk to Tenko. She apologized for her manslaughter of course; and from that moment on it was decided that Gonta would take on the responsibility of pest control.

“I'm not leaving this fucking couch until it's gone” Miu resists.  
  
“S-Same here. It almost crawled up my leg…”  
  
You don't wait to hear what ridiculous excuse Kokichi comes up with before you're huffing, deciding to just do it yourself. “I'll go get him. Just keep an eye out for it”  
  
You swiftly make your way across the house, feeling all kinds of jeebies creeping up on you to know there was a bug crawling around that exact space moments ago, and hastily make your way up the stairs to Kokichi and Gonta's shared room.

Upon reaching it, you scrunch up your fist and softly knock it against the door.

“Gonta? Could you come out for a sec, hun?”

You hear a soft “one moment!” and some shuffling before the door eventually opens.

You smile at the sight revealed to you. Gonta’s got a fuzzy sweater on and matching fuzzy butterfly socks and he just looks so cute you could actually die.

“Oh [Name]! To what does Gonta owe the honor?” he smiles.

His speech had honestly improved in leaps and bounds since leaving the academy but it was going to be awhile before he'd start referring to himself with the proper pronouns. But it's not like you minded it all that much.

"Actually Gonta-”

You hear a chorus of more screaming from downstairs followed by Miu screeching for you to “HURRY THE FUCK UP [NAME], IT'S BACK”

You offer a sheepish smile to the now visibly worried Gonta.

“What is going on?” he asks, voice thick in concern.

“Ah… well… a small friend found it's way in again” you're trying to breach this gently.

Gonta’s expression immediately falls. “Oh…”

Oh man that really hurt to see. Your heart felt like it was going to shrivel up and die when he was upset.

“Maybe you could get him and put him in the garden?” you suggest.

“But garden is cold. Bug will have difficult time in this weather”

“Is it warmer underground? Could you make it a hole?”

“Maybe but solution only temporary” he sighs.

Shit, what were you going to do now? He looks so sad and you didn't want to force him… even if you wanted the thing gone yourself.

“Well what if we put some heat lamps outside later? You've got plenty in your room that we could use” you try to reason.

At that, something seems to click in Gonta’s head. “Oh! That is not bad idea!”

Gonta’s beaming now, happy that the bug won’t be left out on it’s own to possibly die. You knew bugs had adapted ways of surviving the cold. They had to after being alive on this planet for so long but Gonta’s precious little bug loving heart didn’t want them to resort to that.

“[Name] very smart! Okay, Gonta go rescue friend now!” with his large grin still plastered on his face Gonta ducks back into his room and reemerges minutes later with his small bug cage.

He steps past you and you fall in line to follow him downstairs.

At the end of the steps you see everyone in the same positions they had been before, only now Shuichi had joined the girls on the couch annnd… there’s a very, veeeery large roach roaming around in the middle of the floor. You feel a shiver run up your spine and your skin starts to crawl. You get that paranoid sensation of feeling like every little tickle of the air or your body hair against your skin was a little creeper skittering over your arms and legs and _uuggghhh_ God you hated it.  
  
“About fucking time! This thing is gonna eat us if it stays here any longer!”  
  
“S-Sorry, Gonta. We know how much you like them-”

“It is okay” Gonta interrupts. “Gonta understands that he cannot force friends to like bugs if they are scared of them and Gonta accepts that now” it’s a little sadder now but he’s still smiling.  
  
Shuichi smiles at the large man from behind the couch. “You’ve really grown up a lot, Gonta”

Gonta’s cheeks flush at the praise. “Ah, Shuichi, really think so?”

“Aww, that’s so sweet~ Look at how red he is~” Kokichi suddenly interrupts. “But seriously Gonta can you get that thing out of here? I think Miu is about to piss herself”

You can’t help but stifle a laugh at that one.

“Shut the fuck up, you fucking turd burglar! You’re still on the table, you know!” Miu spits.  
  
“Well, if you piss yourself I don’t want to be stepping in it, bitchlet” Kokichi argues.  
  
“B-Bitchlet?!”

You know he’s used that one before but apparently it’s a fan favorite with Miu, even now.

Gonta, ignoring all this banter, eagerly makes his way over to the… uh, scuttling friend, shall you say. He talks to the bug for a bit, politely asking it to crawl inside the cage. He also tells it that it’s “not nice to enter homes uninvited” and that if it returns to it’s home outside he would do his best to keep it warm.

Eventually, miraculously, the bug willingly crawls inside the cage. You would’ve been more shocked, and you were the first time this happened, but you’ve seen this happen so many times now that you’re more than aware of Gonta’s bug-whispering abilities.

“Beautiful job as always, hun” you praise, giving him a gentle pat on the shoulder. You beam up at him. “We appreciate you, darling.”

Gonta was the type that very much needed positive reinforcement and being that you did retain the knowledge that came with being the Ultimate Therapist, you knew when to give it to him and how to let him know that his help didn’t go unnoticed.  
  
“Thank you, [Name]” he smiles, something soft and genuine and leans down to press a kiss to the top of your head.

You giggle a little. “No problem at all, darling”

“In that case, Gonta go get lamps now!”

Gonta, now feeling satisfied with the current situation, happily makes his way upstairs - talking with his new bug friend the entire time.

“W-Well I’m glad that’s over with” Tsumugi sighs, slowly making her way off of the couch.

“Yeah, me too” Shuichi agrees. “Thanks for getting Gonta, [Name]”

“Ah, it was no big deal. I’m actually kind of glad I didn’t need to see the size of that thing until after everything was sorted” you admit.  
  
“Whoop-de-fucking-do for you…” Miu grumbles, making her way past you and into her room, slamming the door shut. You didn’t take offense to it, that’s just how she was. You’re sure she would come talk to you later once she was cooled off.

“I think I’m going to go back to my room. Have a good morning, you guys” Tsumugi smiles softly and excuses herself to her room.

Now that only left one problem.

Kokichi was still on the table.

“You _can_ come down from there now. You know that, right, Kokichi?” you question, eyebrow quirked in curiosity.  
  
“I know that, silly!” he beams… or at least tries to, but you’ve trained yourself to be able to see the slight quiver behind his smile. “I was just hoping that my beloved [Name] would help me down~”

“Kokichi, you can’t just expect that they’re going to help you” Shuichi frowns.  
  
“Aww” he pouts. “But you’ve been hogging them all morning! I want some attention too!” he whines.  
  
Even as you’re rolling your eyes, a smile finds you. Kokichi could be a pain in the ass but you knew there was a damaged boy hiding beneath all those lies. There was a boy who really wanted to learn how to trust people and yet couldn’t get past all the hurt and all the walls he’d forced himself to build up.

So, if he was reaching out to you, even if he would tease you for it later, you wouldn’t reject it. Not now.  
  
“Alright” you feign an annoyed sigh. “If I haaaave to, then I guess I will”  
  
“Yay! I win!” Kokichi cheers, much to Shuichi’s chagrin.

You make your way over to pick him up and once you’ve got your arms around him he immediately latches onto you, grinning at you mischievously.

“You fell right into my trap [Name].” he smirks. Suddenly his tone gets darker. “Now you’re mine until I let you go~”

You ignore the shiver that courses up your spine and force yourself to smirk back at him. “Well since I’m the one with the legs and the mobility it’s more your loss, isn’t it?” you tease.

“Buuut, if you’re so desperate for my attention then I guess you’re just going to have to read detective stories with me and Shuichi”

You cast a glance over at aforementioned detective who looks a bit surprised, if not a little ruffled that Kokichi would be joining in on your reading.

“What?” Kokichi’s expression seems to deadpan. “You guys were _reading_ this whole time?”

“Yeah, why?” Shuichi sounds a little defensive.

“That’s so boring!! Here I was thinking you two were having **kinky morning sex**!” he blurts, loud and unashamed, as an Ouma does.

“W-What?” Shuichi’s now gone completely red in the face.

It’s not like you _haven’t_ though; and you know that’s why Shuichi looks like he’s been severely sunburnt.

The wee hours of the morning would tip into the house as you and Shuichi slowly woke up in each other’s arms. The light hue of dawn would trickle in through the window and you would suddenly find a very needy Shuichi pressing at your skin - too shy to say what he wanted and always wanting you to draw it out of him. So you would challenge him to keep quiet, so as not to alert the others preparing for work, as you did things to him that made his voice crack, hitch and gasp in every effort _not_ to scream.

“What the fuck is kinky about the morning?” you laugh, toootally not trying to hide the fact that you were dazing out, thinking about Shuichi’s cute moans.

“Everything! Everyone’s waking up so you gotta be quiet or someone’s totally going to hear! And knowing Shuichi, being quiet isn’t his specialty” Kokichi teases, sending a sultry smirk Shuichi’s way.  
  
“H-Hey! Cut it out, that’s not funny!” the detective tries to defend himself but he knows it’s true.

What a little shit. He either straight up listened through your door or he’s done the same thing with Shuichi.

“Alright, alright stop picking on Shuichi or I’m gonna drop your ass”

“Aww, that’s gonna hurt if you do that” Kokichi whines.  
  
“Well then shut up and come read some detective stories with us” you chuckle. “If.. that’s alright with you, Shuichi?”

Shuichi looks a little reserved about the idea but ultimately-

“Yeah, sure… that’s fine” he mumbles.

“Nehehe~ So I get to spend time with [Name] and Shuichi? Must be my lucky day!” he’s grinning again.  
  
“I thought you said reading was boring?” Shuichi counters.

“Huh?” Kokichi looks thoughtful for a moment. “I said that?”

“How can you forget what you said two minutes ago?”

“Oooh right, that! Well, that was a lie, obviously.” Kokichi confirms. “I wouldn’t be such a smart cookie if I never read anything so, reading with you guys is fine”

Before the conversation can get anywhere else, you decide to move it to the bedroom.  
  
“To the book it is then!”

 

You spent most of the morning into the afternoon, snuggled up to Shuichi, with Kokichi in your lap, reading.  
  
And you hoped days like this never ended.

\---------  
  
EXTENDED SCENE:

 

“There we go! Now it’s all set up and our little friend here will be nice and cozy!”

You and Gonta had just finished running extension cords from the external outlets of your house, out into the garden in the back of your house (that Gonta and Kirumi spent half a year cultivating), so that you could set up heat lamps in it.

“Now, remember Gonta, we can’t keep these on all the time otherwise the electricity bill is going to be ass, so pick good times to turn these on, okay?” you remind him.

Gonta nods eagerly. Honestly he’s just happy to have a chance to make life easier for his little friends. “Yes Gonta will do good job! Gonta only turn lamps on if it is very cold”

“That’s my boy” you beam. “Now what do you say we go in and get some hot chocolate?” 

Gonta’s smile widens even more. “Gonta would like that very much!” 

So after a long hour of running wires and picking good spots for the lamps, the two of you helped yourself to a long cuddle on the couch, a good movie and some warm hot cocoa.

  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys have been so damn wonderful ever since I posted the first chapter. I got four comments within 24 hours of it being posted and you all had nothing but wonderful things to say and that warms my heart so much, especially since this is something I've been writing for my own pure enjoyment. 
> 
> So to know that others are enjoying my random brain crabs that walk sideways all over my word processor fills my little heart with so much glee. 
> 
> Please keep requesting and being curious about this, it keeps me motivated and I love to hear what you guys think! Thank you all so much for the support!


	7. Never Have they Ever [All]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As of that night everyone had turned 21. This calls for a celebration of overcoming obstacles previously thought to be impossible with beer and pizza. And... a friendly, sexual game of never have I ever.

There’s laughter resounding about the room. 

Old memories are fondly recalled, echoing in a circle over a few large pizzas and some beers. Tonight, everyone is officially twenty one and you’re all celebrating how far you’ve come both in your recovery and in your lives. It’s more than enough of a reason to smile and laugh but in this group something amusing was always bound to happen. 

“Alright, chicken shits” Miu slurs, taking a strong swig of her beer and then promptly slamming the glass down onto the hardwood floor. It's amazing the thing doesn't shatter on contact. “You’ve all been playing it safe this far so I’m going to kick it up a notch!” 

You’re playing a game of never have I ever. That’s originally what the beer was for but Miu must have missed that memo considering she’s half way through the bottle at this point. 

“That’s easy for you to say! You’ve got nothing to lose, you’re halfway through your bottle!” Kaede laughs. 

“Shut your ass flat chest! Imma aboutta expose all your filthy secretsss cuz heck -hic- knows you got ‘em” it’s a beautifully articulated sentence coming from Miu, especially in this state. 

“I’m pretty sure your closet is probably the most filthy out of all of ours you pig headed bitch” Kokichi laughs. 

“Yeah… I was fine with what we were already asking, to be honest…” Tsumugi sighs. 

“Too fucking bad! It’s my turn and I’m about to wreck some fucking lives!” 

“You do that enough already just by existing” 

Miu opens her mouth to talk and you can’t help but think that it’s kind of amazing how in any other circumstance those kinds of comments, from Kokichi especially, would’ve rendered Miu a stuttering mess but with a little alcohol in her system she completely bypassed them. 

“Alright here we go. Never have I ever… thought about someone in this room, someone particularly gorgeous might I add, while masturbating” there's this... attempt of a sultry smile resting on Miu’s mouth but it looks more like a lopsided grin than anything seductive. 

The room is quiet for a minute. You all are looking between each other seemingly wondering if she thought this was as earth shattering as she made it out to be. 

Obviously majority, if not all, of the people in this room had thought about someone in this house that way. 

“Fuck it” you shrug and take a swig. 

Everyone in the circle follows suit, downing their beer. 

Not more than a moment later Miu lets out a loud, triumphant laugh. “Haha! I fucking knew it! All you pervs have toooootally jerked it to this huge ass rack and my godlike face!” 

There's a feeling welling up behind your eyelids, drawing them closed as a breath leaves your nose. You love her, you do, but sometimes this shit was just too damn funny to keep yourself composed. 

Through a bemused smile you start talking “Miu, honey, sugar, the love of my life, you never actually asked if we were thinking about you” you chuckle. 

“Well who else would it be? I said someone particularly gorgeous and that’s me” she answers definitively, a perfectly content look on her face. 

Kokichi does not lose this chance to make a quip about her logic, a wide, mocking grin plastered on his face “It would’ve been more believable if you said someone particularly hideous, Miu” 

“Aww c’mon I think she’s cute” you interject. 

“You have horrible taste then, [Name]. What a shame, I expected better of you” Kokichi feigns a distressed look, hand to his forehead for dramatic effect, as if he may faint in just that moment. 

“I mean I think you’re cute too so maybe I do have horrible taste” you snicker, never one to pass up a chance to tease the violet-haired man. 

“That’s so cruel, [Name]!” he clutches at his shirt, close to his heart. “How could you play with my fragile heart like that!?” big, thick almost comical tears are gathering at the corners of his eyes. 

Kaito nearly spits out his drink. “Fragile heart?” he laughs. “Up until a year ago I could’ve been convinced you didn’t have a heart” 

A teasing smile slides easily back onto Kokichi’s face. “Well someone as dense as you could be convinced of just about anything, huh Kaito?” 

Before Kaito can manage a retort, which you can hear on the tip of his tongue, you decide to keep things moving along. “ALRIGHT” you announce loudly. “Who was next?” 

Angie shoots her hand up in the air, waving it around with the utmost enthusiasm “Oh me, me! I was next!” 

“Very well, Angie. What dark secrets do you want to know about all of us?” you laugh. 

“Ooooh? Dark secrets, huh? I wonder…” 

Angie thinks for a while, gently swaying herself side to side as if her whole body was in thought. She keeps a lip to her finger, gazing upwards. 

Suddenly all movement stops and her eyes are positively glowing. “Oh! Oh! I know! Never have I everrr….” 

Her eyes drift towards you, making you cock up an eyebrow at her. She looks positively mischievous and you're a little worried. 

“...done something naughty with someone here while I was at work~” 

Oh. That was most definitely pointed at you. 

You and Rantaro currently shared a job working as shelf stockers at a small bargain store. The job came with a certain degree of freedom and a high level of boredom, especially during evening hours, so… it was really no surprise you two had gotten up to something a little promiscuous on more than one occasion.  

“I feel like your tone is very pointed right now…” 

“Is it? It's only bad if you've done something, right? You haven't done anything, riiiight?” the look on her face says she believes otherwise. 

You think about not taking a sip just to spite her but as you glance over, eyes finding your partner in crime, he's already got the bottle halfway to his mouth, an amused look in his eyes. 

You lock your eyes with Angie and begrudgingly take a sip, finishing in time with Rantaro. 

Everyone seems to draw the connection but Korekiyo’s the one to make the comment, as everyone else is busy “oooo”ing or chuckling. 

“You two have been getting up to a lot more than just work, it would seem~” his signature chortle resounds about the circle.  

“I mean yeah, it's not a particularly difficult job and the managers trust us enough to treat us like we’re in charge so… yeah” you shrug your shoulders, trying to chuckle off your blushing embarrassment. 

“I think it's a good way to pass time when there's nothing going on” Rantaro laughs, looking at you with a soft expression.

Bless him. He knows how awkward this must be. Acting nonchalant about it was the best thing to do in this situation. 

You laugh in response, feeling your heart flutter softly at his words. “I'd have to agree with you on that one!” 

You two are too busy chuckling at each other for this situation to be too awkward anymore. 

The game resumes.

“Alright, who's next?”

“That's me!” Kaede smiles, lifting a hand. 

“Alright, go on then” Ryoma nods. 

“Ah...hmm…” you know Kaede’s got a perverted side to her but you imagine her internal struggle right now has to be between her curiosity and not being too invasive. 

“Oh! Alright! Never have I ever sent nudes!” 

There's quite a few bottles going up on this one. The most surprising however, had to be Keebo’s.

“Ohoho, even you Kee-boy?” Kokichi snickers.

Keebo’s face is a blaring shade of red. “I-it was only one time! And it was for scientific research!” 

“Oooh yeah~ That was my most favorite experiment~” Miu coos, drool starting to drip down the side of her mouth. “Kee boy is pretty hung just in case any of you were wondering~” a disjointed laugh trickles out of Miu’s mouth.

“M-Miu! I would appreciate if you would keep private information such as that, to yourself!”  Keebo stutters, frantically waving his hands. 

“Whhhhyyy? That's something people who have dicks are usually really proud of, y’know” Miu argues. 

“That may be true of some but it's not like I want that information about myself made public!” Keebo refutes.

“Aww c’mon you're such a killjoy” 

“Be that as it may, it's still my body!” 

“Are we actually having this conversation, right now?” Maki interjects. “Miu keep that sort of thing to yourself in the future. No one needed to know that” 

Miu coils into herself at Maki's sharp glare. “G-geez alright, I get it…” 

Keebo, on the other hand, breathes a sigh of relief that this conversation is over. 

“On that note-” you chime in. “It's my turn!” 

“I've been sitting on this since we started getting PG-13 so now it's time to make it rated R”  you grin. 

“I'm fairly certain we surpassed rated R a moment ago” Korekiyo speaks. “But I am curious as to what you have to offer to the game” he gives you a quizzical look. 

“Well then hold onto your ass” you advise, wiggling your eyebrows seductively at the anthropologist. 

“Never have I ever… fisted someone” 

There's a mix of amused and disgruntled expressions forming around the circle. 

“Really, [Name]?” Maki sighs, rubbing at her temples. 

You can't help but laugh. “Sorry Maki Roll but it needed to be asked” 

“It really didn't” 

“Well, have you fisted someone?” 

Her cheeks light up in a soft pink hue. “N-no but it's not like I need to know that information about everyone else” 

“Fair enough, but the question has been asked and now you all gotta pay the piper. So, who's the culprit?” 

You regret phrasing the sentence like that the minute it comes out of your mouth, a sour aftertaste of memories past lingers on your tongue. 

Thankfully, however, mostly everyone ignores it as bottles start going up. Most notably to you, was Angie’s.

“Ohoho who've you been fisting Angie?” it's totally not a question framed in vengeance, no, of course not. 

She merely laughs at you. “Uh-uh-uh! That is not part of the game! I don't have to answer if I don't want to” 

“Well, sorry, I  just would've thought you'd be proud of being miss fister is all” 

The beer might be getting to you a small bit but it all works out as half of the room either chokes on their beer or breaks out in laughter. 

“MISS FISTER” Miu roars, cackling on the floor. “Oh my God, I'm using that from now on!” 

Rantaro’s chuckling into his hand, trying not to lose it but you both know the revenge is too sweet. 

“Holy fuck, [Name]” Kaito is losing his mind next to you and claps you on the shoulder. “Where do you come up with this stuff?” he chokes through laughs.

“I'm just a fucking comedy gold mine” you counter. 

“Yeah, I think I see that now” he wheezes, wiping tears from his eyes.  

Angie on the other hand, underneath that carefully placed smile,  looks like she could actually murder you. But of course that only means that your task has been accomplished. 

“Such a child [Name]~  Children need to be punished when they act foolishly~” she coos darkly.

“I think that means you might be a corpse by tomorrow” Ryoma chuckles. 

“Or maybe she's gonna fist me” you laugh, picking a piece of pepperoni off of an untouched slice of pizza. 

Ryoma scoffs in amusement, shaking his head. “Well I guess we’ll find out” 

“That we will Ryoma, darling” you nod, smiling still. 

“I hate to interrupt but it is getting rather late and some of us do need to be getting to sleep as we have work tomorrow. Perhaps one more question and then we should retire?” Kirumi asks, a look of concern on her face. 

“What? Are you kidding? It's just starting to get fun!” Kokichi whines.  

“Nah, Kirumi has a point” you have to agree considering you were of the individuals who had work tomorrow. 

“Alright one more and then we'll clean up” Kaito concedes. “So who's got the last one of the night?” 

“Ah… that would be me” Shuichi’s soft voice pipes up from within the circle. 

“You look like you're about to die” Himiko mumbles, drawing attention to Shuichi’s flustered features. 

“Don't act like you’re innocent. You're a degenerate male you've definitely been waiting for the chance to ask something gross” Tenko steethes. 

Shuichi looks like he wants to say ‘that's not how that works’ but opts to just sigh instead. 

“Don't worry about them, Shuichi. Just finish us off for the night, partner” Kaito grins, encouraging the shy detective. 

“Ah, well… alright then…” 

Shuichi takes a few minutes, mulling over something to ask. You notice his eyes flicker over to you every now and again, face flushing further, before he finally spoke up. 

“Uhm… never have I ever roleplayed during sex” his cheeks are burning. 

You can't help but smile to yourself, the realization of what those little looks were all about becoming all too aparent.  

Shuichi had mentioned to you once or twice about a detective/culprit role play where the culprit overpowers the detective and has their way with them. Clearly that idea was still on his mind.  

“Oooh good one there, partner!” Kaito praises, taking a swig of his beer along with a couple of others.

“Let me guess you're an astronaut and you're fucking in a spaceship?” Kokichi taunts. 

Kaito’s face goes a bit red, even as it portrays an annoyed expression “Shut the fuck up, Kokichi”

“Neehehe, I knew it! You're so predictable space boy~ Who've you taken up into your cockpit?”

“Certainly not you, that's for damn sure” he growls. 

“So, I guess that's it then?” Himiko asks. 

“Yes I think that's all for tonight. It's nearly 2 AM and a minimum of five hours of sleep is optimal for those of us who have work” Kirumi confirms. 

“Well, let's get to cleaning then” Ryoma begrudgingly suggests. 

Everyone slowly gets to their feet, packing away the pizza and collecting the bottles of beer and soda from the floor. Once everything is away and the house looks presentable again people start to make their way to their rooms. 

“Night everyone~” you coo, giving a wave. 

Everyone returns your call as you make your way into your and Shuichi’s shared room. 

You let out a yawn once the door is closed. 

“Mmm, have a good sleep, Shuichi” you smile. 

He returns your words with a soft expression. “You too, [Name]”

“Oh and by the way” 

He looks at you curiously as you step towards him. You lightly take hold of the top of his shirt and push him down onto his bed. You can hear him stuttering as you press your lips to his ear. 

“Let me know when you want me to be your culprit~” you giggle softly, blowing into his ear.

You can feel the shiver that runs up and down his body and you almost feel bad about being such a tease but hopefully this would give him the drive to actually initiate the roleplay one of these days. 

“O-Oh, uhm... sure” he responds, a bit breathless at the moment. 

You press a kiss to the side of his face. “That's a good detective” 

“But for now, sleep” you decide, repositioning your body so that you were snuggled up against the timid man. “I just wanted to let you know that I was still into the idea” 

“You could have just said that you know” Shuichi counters. 

“Naah, I wanted to give you incentive by showing you what it might be like” you laugh, nuzzling your face into his chest. 

You can hear Shuichi chuckle, the adorable sound reverberating through his chest. “I guess that's one way to do it” 

“Isn't it though?” 

You both share a laugh, easing into each other's company and snuggling even closer. 

“Good night, Shuichi” 

“Good night, [Name]” 

Everything feels warm and fuzzy and just so right. You drift off to sleep in Shuichi's arms, proud of how far everyone had come and content with where you had found yourself after all this time. 

It really was, a reason to celebrate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG!!
> 
> I wound up getting a reaaally bad case of food poisoning while I was away for the weekend and it took me like four-five days to recover (seriously I thought I was going to have to go to the hospital LOL) so that put me out of commission for a while. And then I was in coding hell for my computer science course and that absorbed all of my time BUT HERE IT IS.
> 
> I decided to focus on something lighter and fluffier so I could get back into the groove of writing again so I hope this is alright!! Thank you guys for sticking with me your support has been such a tremendous joy to me and I appreciate it so much. 
> 
> Next few chapters I have planned are angsty ones but let's hope my brain doesn't go to memes when I try to start writing them LOL 
> 
> ALSO, not 100% sold on doing it just yet and those chapters would come out far less frequently but would you guys be interested in a prequel story to this? Like, would you like me to write about the reader's time in Danganronpa? I've been heavily considering it so let me know what you guys think!


	8. Level Up! [Kokichi]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a quiet, simple afternoon with not much going on. You've got Kokichi in your lap as the two of you trade off a controller for a single player game. Kokichi likes to mess around with the smaller enemies, hiding behind rocks and tossing bombs at them. For some reason, you think it's adorable and when you tell him that he's almost lost for words.

It was a lazy afternoon.

The sun was burning dreadfully, loud in the midst of summer and completely unhinged in the absence of clouds. On a day like this no one dared tread outside unless absolutely necessary. And well, since it wasn't pertinent for you to be anywhere near the blazing inferno just beyond your door, you opted for a day in.

You were on the couch, delightfully surrounded by the cool air blowing out from the air conditioner and enveloping the entire house in a comfy mist of coldness. You had a blanket wrapped around your shoulders and a video game controller in your hands.  

Oh, yes, and in your lap was a Kokichi, to top it all off.

The two of you were taking turns playing the newest installment of a rather popular video game series that featured a heroic, young, blond lad with elfish features as the main character. You had decided that every time either of you met a despairing defeat due to a broken weapon or surprise enemy you would hand off the controller to the other to continue the adventure. It had pretty much become a ritual between the two of you on boring days like this.  

So that’s what you’d been doing for most of the afternoon. Given Kokichi was quite a few inches shorter than you it meant he was the perfect height for you to rest your chin on his head as you stared ahead at the screen in front of you. It’s incredibly comfortable having his small body nestled in your lap, even if he has just begun whining about you having the controller for too long. 

“[Naaaaaame] you’re hogging it!”

You chuckle into his violet locks, leading your character through a patch of snow. “Hey, it’s not my fault I haven’t died yet.”

“You’re literally  _ avoiding  _ the enemies” he argues, gesturing towards the TV as you swivel out of sight of a couple of monsters. “It’s absolutely your fault you haven’t died yet!”

“Well they don’t have anything of use and there’s no level system in this game so they’re kind of a waste of my time”

“Or maybe you’re just a big weenie?” he snickers.

“Call me what you want but these are pro strats right here”

He sounds like he’s stifling a snort. “What, running away? That’s what you call pro strats? Your standards must be pretty low”

“Okay maybe but like, who’s still got the controller right now?”

“You won’t for looong!” he giggles.

You don’t have too long to wonder about the meaning of Kokichi’s words because it’s made apparently clear to you what he meant to do.

You’ve got your character teetering on a ledge that you can’t avoid, sneaking up behind an incredibly lethal enemy that can get you an instant game over if it spots you. You think you’ve got a foolproof plan coming at it from it’s blind spot and it was a pretty good strategy up until… your character starts whistling.

In the midst of your concentration Kokichi had reached down and tapped the right bumper, triggering your character’s horse call which immediately gets the attention of the enemy.

“Kokichi you assbat!” you yell, desperately trying to race back down the length of the ledge but it’s far too long and you’re far too slow. The enemy fires off a laser and you watch your hearts instantly drop down to zero. What makes matters worse is you’re forced to watch your character ragdoll down a cliff like a damn beanie baby, all the while accompanied by the ‘game over’ screen.  

Kokichi is absolutely howling, shivering in laughter so much so that you can feel the convulsions of his little, cheating body against you. It would’ve been much cuter if you weren’t so annoyed at the moment. “Oh my God! That was the best thing I’ve ever seen!”

“You’re such a shit, I almost had that” you huff, reaching your hands up to gather the skin of his cheeks in between your fingers, squeezing at it just so.

The small boy is still laughing, swatting at your hands and trying to get you to let him go.

“C’mon [Name] that was so worth it! Did you see the way he just flopped off that cliff? That was amazing” he wheezes, which eventually shifts to a cackle the longer he thinks about it.   

You shake your head, huffing a breath of air out of your nose. As your hands fall back into your lap you had to admit that it  _ was  _ rather funny and it was just a game after all… but dammit you almost had that. That would’ve been sick if you’d been able to land a stealth kill.

“Yeah, yeah you little cheater”

It takes him a moment to come back from the wheezing fit, allowing it to serve as his comeback in place of any actual dialogue. At least until he catches his breath.

“Cheating? Oh no, dear [Name], I call that ‘pro strats’ ” the grin that you hear in his  playfully condescending tone, incites in you this feeling of wanting to squeeze his cheeks off of his face.

You shake your head incredulously. “Pro strats for what?”

“Getting the controller back of course!” he beams, little hands easily snatching the controller out of yours.

You think about arguing with him. There’s a ‘you little shit give that back’ resting on your tongue but it never leaves your mouth. Even if you were to wrestle the controller back from him it’s likely he’d just pull another stunt to get you killed and it would go on like that until you actually forfeited the device to him. So, might as well save your breath and wait until his chops get too big for the knife and he tries to take on an enemy he’s got no chance of beating. It’s bound to happen sooner or later.

“Alright fine, but I hope you’re happy with yourself” you sigh, yielding yourself to just accept what had happened.

“Don’t worry, I am” he responds definitively, making you shake your head.

Your arms, connected to your now free hands, lace around his body and you pull yourself closer to him, evermore using him as a personal body pillow. If you were gonna be watching for a while you might as well get comfortable.  

Kokichi goes about his normal routine, heading towards the next point required to continue the story but also making frequent detours to mess around with smaller enemies and even jostle around with some of the more looming, dangerous ones.

He’s got his character hidden behind a rock, whistling at some smaller enemies. He immediately circles around to the other side of the boulder the minute they come closer, snickering at their confused animations. He’s like a little kid playing hide and seek but some part of you can’t help but think he’s adorable like this.  

“Stupid ass” he laughs, chucking a bomb over the other side of the rock. The blast alone is enough to kill them off but the subsequent flight their bodies are subjected to certainly would’ve finished them off for sure, if not. It’s actually really funny.

“You love messing with the small fries, huh?” you chuckle.

“They’re just so easy to toy with! And it’s hilarious watching them inspect the bomb and get all curious, only for me to then ruin their entire world” he cackles.

You can’t help but laugh at that. “I guess it is kind of funny. It’s like, hello, a new object just rolled right on up to you don’t go inspecting it”

“Exaaactly. But, it’s for being so stupid that they deserve to get blown up”

“Can’t argue with you there”

It goes on like this for a while. Kokichi hides behind things or gets into absolutely ridiculous places and tosses bombs and other such weapons at low level enemies. He’s having the time of his life and honestly… it’s really cute.

You’ve gotten him to open up now and again, to be honest with you. It’s been an excruciatingly slow process getting him to do so and to do so with your other housemates as well but you were willing to be patient. The times where he did show himself to you made you understand him far more and you cherished those times where you could talk to him truthfully. It made simple moments like this, where he seemed genuinely happy and at ease, all the sweeter.

You lose yourself in the thought, squeezing him closer and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. You don’t miss the way his body gently shivers in the wake of your affection, still getting used to someone being so gentle and loving with him, especially after having annoyed them.

“You’re so cute, you know that?” you whisper, nuzzling your nose against the back of his head.

“I-I mean yeah, obviously” you smile at the tint of a stutter in his voice. “But what brought that on? Are you trying to fluster me so that I’ll lose focus and die? Geez, and I thought I was the cheater” he feigns a disappointed voice, sighing dejectedly.

You roll your eyes as an involuntary reflex but it doesn’t detract from how warm this moment feels. “Nope. No tricks. I was thinking it so I figured I’d just tell you how I felt”

“Nehehe~ That so? Geez, you’re so sappy” he’s trying to hide how you can practically feel his heart ballooning up against his back.  

“Maybe but some people need that and I like being able to provide” you giggle, pressing yet another gentle kiss to the back of his head. There’s a teasing _‘and you’re one of those people, aren’t you?’_ left unspoken on your lips. You’re positive he can hear it anyway, though.

“What a people pleaser~ You’re going to get yourself hurt if you keep that up”

You can hear the thinly veiled translation behind those words, it sounds something like:  _ don’t love me, I might hurt you. _ But it doesn’t bother you. You know he wouldn’t. He paints himself as some mischievous little monster but if anyone was going to see right through that act, it was you.

“I’m fine with that. I know how to handle my feelings and besides, I don’t think anyone like that would try to actively hurt me” you hope he can hear the rather transparent translation in your voice:  _ don’t worry about it, I can handle you. Let me be there for you. _

“Is that right…?” for a moment, he seems at a loss for words. “You trust far too easily, [Name]”

“I wouldn’t say it’s trust more like… understanding?”  _ I understand you.  _ “It’s the job of a therapist to understand the needs of the people around them. That’s like, literally our job”

“Mm, I suppose that’s true~ But tell me-” he sounds eerily curious. “-what happens when you have to understand what  _ you  _ want? What do you do when you have to look at yourself? Who’s there to show you that?”

The inquiry resonates within the deepest parts of yourself, striking the most sensitive bones in your body. Had it not been for the fact you had already had to answer this question for yourself a while ago it might’ve rendered you speechless. But… you had an answer.

“Well, as with anything you have to start with yourself first. Figure out the problem and then once you’ve realized it’s a problem or something that needs fixing you have to do the scariest thing possible-” you pull him closer, lips resting softly at the shell of his ear. “- _ you have to ask for help _ ”

You feel the quake of a shiver that erupts from his body. In such close proximity it’s absolutely unmistakable. It doesn’t make you feel any type of positive way to make him this uncomfortable but you at least are glad he recognizes that while you might be talking about yourself, these words are for him.

“Yeah..?” it’s a rare thing you hear from him, a quivery, unsteady voice.

Unspoken, but you know he can understand.  _ Yes. _

It’s quiet for a while. The boy is comprehending that you’re telling him, once again, to ask for help if he needs it. You are repeatedly telling him to come to you if he needs to. It’s something you know he’s not used to - a stable support system. Kokichi has had to be there for Kokichi and that’s as far as he knew. That was the reason for all the walls, all the falsities and distrust. It was to keep himself safe. But you came along and asked him to at least peak outside those walls if he wasn’t going to take them down. And you waited, and you were patient. And you understand that he’s not used to this. He might never be.  

When Kokichi does speak again he’s found a way to iron out the squiggles in his voice and once more adopts that cheery, laid back voice he’s known for.

“Welp, good thing I don’t have any problems then”

You roll your eyes.

“Sure, Kichi, whatever helps you sleep at night”

It may sound like he took nothing away from that conversation but you knew him just enough to know that this was just his way of remaining in control, of not showing weakness. And that was fine, as long as he knew you were there for him.

A while passes, you’re watching him play the game going about his tirade on the smaller enemies. Kokichi is laughing, smiling and you’ve got him in your lap secure and safe. In general, you’re feeling pretty content with how that all came to a close and just when you thought you had made peace with the moment -

“Hey, [Name]?”

“Mm? What is it, love?”

“.... thanks”

\-   it got even better.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya'll wanted some Kokichi so here you are! The idea of Kokichi sitting in the readers lap while they play video games was just so adorable to me so I started with that and then ended with this. It wasn't exactly how I pictured it going and I feel like I could've found ways to make it a little longer but as it stands I'm on kind of a time crunch and I wanted to get something out to you guys before I leave for my next convention. So hopefully you guys like this! 
> 
> I do have a far more angsty chapter planned for Kokichi where he does a lot more opening up than he does here so don't you guys worry about that ; )


	9. The Honesty in his Silence [Kokichi]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It hasn't always been summer days with Kokichi in your lap. Sometimes it was crying out on the porch underneath the stars where he confessed his self hatred.

It hadn’t been so easy getting Kokichi to open up to you. It wasn’t always summer days, playing video games with him in your lap. In fact it was much the opposite, with him having strayed away from you once the killing game ended.

 But one night, you saw an opportunity and you took it.

 - - -

 It was around the time that the sun had closed its eyes for the day and in turn made room for the moon to show brightly in the sky, illuminating the black veil of space.  

 At this time, like most people, your jolly band of misfits had all gathered around for dinner. A delicious meal adorned the table. One that was proposed by Kirumi, as usual, and cooked by her and several others to accommodate the vast number of plates needed to satisfy the group. It was shaping up to be a nice evening to end off an otherwise stressful day.

That was of course, until you noticed something. You just always had to notice something, didn't you? Then again this thing that you had noticed was so blaringly odd that you wondered how the others overlooked it.

Sitting a few seats down from yours, opposite your side of the table, was Kokichi. Now the young man did a lot of things that were very odd and very much outside any kind of norms as far as society was concerned. But he was consistent about those oddities of his. That’s why, looking at him now you couldn’t help but find yourself concerned. Instead of his normal, cheerful banter he was eerily silent; only opting to throw in a small quip here and there when it seemed to be that too many eyes were starting to turn towards him. It served to stave off mostly everyone - everyone that wasn't you and maybe Shuuichi. You kept him clear in your peripheral, watching him sometimes play with his food, sometimes just stare at it in some type of way.

His behavior was making _you_ feel some type of way and it was anything but pleasant. However you couldn't exactly say anything at the moment so you instead you decided to keep him in clear view out of the corner of your eye. Silently watching to see how he was doing.

Dinner goes on for a while longer and conversation is pleasant... but for the life of you you can't stop worrying. Kokichi seems to get progressively quieter and quieter as the night goes on and no one says a thing. You're tempted to ask him right then and there if he was alright but in front of everyone it wasn't likely he'd give you any inkling of truth and he might actually resent you for drawing attention to it.

Eventually dinner comes to an end. Bellies are full and mostly everyone looks content, ready for bed. A couple of people offer to stay behind to help with the cleanup, you being one of them. Throughout the course of gathering dishes and bodies slowly making their way from the table, you noticed a small one in particular slip quietly outside onto the back porch.

If he stayed there after you were done with cleanup, you reasoned, then that might be a good time to talk to him.

And he does. Admittedly you had been rushing around the table, collecting as many dishes as you could in one go. Yet even with that it had been a while that he was out there. It took a bit to clean the plates, put them away and then to shoo your cleaning partners off to bed, convincing them you’d be fine with putting out all the lights and checking the lock on the front door.

“I’ll be fine, just get to bed you guys” you assure with a soft smile.  
  
“You sure? It’s really not that big of a deal, they’re just lights” Rantaro laughs.

“Yes, if you need assistance I would feel more at ease if you would ask” Kirumi agrees.  
  
You couldn’t help but chuckle, warmed by their concern. “Nah, don’t worry. I might be up for a while longer anyway. I’m not really tired yet”

“Alright then. Well, thanks everyone for helping with the clean up. Have a good night” Rantaro brandishes a friendly smile, putting up his hand in affirmation of his words, before turning and making his way upstairs.

Everyone says pretty much the same, just in their own way, before heading off to their own bedrooms. You watch as Rantaro, Tenko, Kirumi and Keebo slip into their own rooms, retiring for the night. You, on the other hand, peek out the sliding glass door leading to the backyard porch to make sure a certain little liar was still there.

And sure enough there he was. He was sitting on the steps of the porch, uncharacteristically still, head tilted up towards the stars. You never took him to be the star gazing type but then again… there were a lot of things you supposed you didn’t know about him. You didn’t know he had the ability to be so openly distressed in the presence of others. You had to guess that he thought no one was looking or would care. He had said once before back at the academy that he was aware how much everyone hated him so perhaps….perhaps he thought no one would think anything of it.

But it was something you just couldn’t ignore, especially seeing him looking so solemn at the moment. It was a rare moment of quiet that you had yet to see from Kokichi and yet… it didn’t look so odd right now. Right now he looked pure… and not in the sense of goodness or holiness but pure as in - untouched… unadulterated one might say. Even just staring at the back of his head you could feel this sense of truth. That this just might be what was underneath all of those lies.

Well, you wouldn’t know for sure just by staring at him, now would you?

You go about the normal night duties for the last one up. You check the door - more than once since paranoia dies hard - and then the lights. You leave the kitchen light on, dim as it were. And once all of that was done you found yourself outside, quietly making your way towards the young man with his head in the sky.

“Hey there” you try to say it softly so as not to startle him but no matter how gentle you tried to sound, there was an unmistakable jolt in his small body. “I thought you’d gone to bed”

He turns his head to meet you, eyes now free from the stars above. “Aw, is my beloved ____ worried about me?” it’s the usual expression of course. One of jest and soft mockery. “Did you stay up just for me? How sweet~”

You roll your eyes, flicking the porch light on. “You’d like that, huh? Sorry to disappoint you but I just noticed you were out here when I was closing up the house”

“How cruel” he whimpers, a dramatic hand to his chest as he forces these big, almost comical tears out of his eyes. “You couldn’t take your eyes off of me during dinner and you’re just going to say it was nothing? How could you play with my heart like that?!”  
  
You feel a ball of mucus well up in the back of your throat, this slight sensation of a shiver flickering down your body as you’re so easily called out on your actions. You thought you had been subtle about it or at least you had tried to be but then again this was Kokichi you were dealing with. It's really not much of a surprise he caught you.

“So you saw that, huh?”

“Obviously~” he teases, jumping right back to his original expression. “You’re not the best at subtle gazing you know?”

“And I assume you are?” you snort, resting your chin on top of your hand as your arm is propped up on your knee.

“Only the champion! I've won multiple subtle gazing contests you know? I out-gazed everyone in the city” he says it with such conviction you want to believe him. But given the subject matter you also can't stop from laughing.

“That so?”

“Absolutely” he nods, smirking in your direction. “But then again I am a liar so who's to say really?” he snickers.

“Ah, right. Forgot about that.  Silly me” you chuckle.

The conversation’s nice and you're glad to see that Kokichi is somewhat back to normal, if only a little tamer than usual. But you can't get the image of that lonely boy under the stars out of your head. So you decide to veer the conversation back before it gets too far off track.

“So, since it's obvious I'm terrible at being subtle and you clearly noticed my blunder - let's talk about it”

“Didn't we just establish that you suck at subtle gazing though?”

“Not that, silly. WHY I was looking at you”

“Because you're hopelessly in love with me and don't know how to confess your feelings?” he wiggled his eyebrows at you in attempt to be seductive.

“Close but no” you laugh, ignoring how your heart caught in your chest just the slightest at the accusation. “More like because you were very much not yourself and I'm concerned”

“Not myself? Last I checked I'm still me” he dances around the matter.

“Really? Because you seemed extremely quiet at dinner tonight. I don’t think I heard you cuss at Miu even once”

He shrugs, leaning in back on his palms. “She wasn't worth my time tonight.”

You screw up your face in an expression of disbelief. Disbelief for how terrible that excuse was.

“Kokichi c’mon. I know something's up with you”

For some reason or another… Kokichi starts laughing at that. “Even if there was something wrong with me, why do you care so much?”

You tilt your head curiously, as if the answer was obvious. “Well because I - “

“Oh let me guess” he snips in, cutting you off. “The therapist just _has_ to analyze everyone, don't they? Because _that's the person you've decided to be_ , right?”

You don't know what brought on this sudden change in attitude but his words tug somewhere at your heartstrings. You feel like he's mocking you - because he is - for having repeated that mantra so much. For having decided that giving into your assigned therapist role was what you wanted to do.

“I wonder though. Are you doing it for your own satisfaction?  Or do you really care? Because it seems to me like you get invested in other people's problems to run away from your own” he muses.

Your breath caught in your throat.  

“That's kind of sick you know? To make people think you care when all you're doing is using them”

Those words sink into the pits of your stomach, swirling in bile, but you can feel them in your chest too - burning. Perhaps somewhere inside of you that was true - that you put your own problems behind you to deal with everyone else's. Maybe you were afraid to face yourself but -

“Even if some part of that might be true, my intentions are never disingenuous” you spoke, expression having hardened into something resolved but irritated. “I _want_ to help. I wouldn't care so much about everyone if they were nothing but toys. Hell, with this attitude I'm getting from you I would've walked away already”

“Then why don't you?” he smirks.

“Because you're clearly being even more of an asshole so that I'll leave.  Someone caught you being vulnerable and now you're trying to pretend it didn't happen. That's not healthy” you huff.

“There it is~ There's the psych evaluation I was waiting for~” he teases, looking to you with a devious expression through narrowed eyes.

“Well, if _that_ bothers you so much then why don't _you_ leave?”

And what he said stopped you dead in your tracks.

“I guess I like the attention~” he giggles.

 Something clicked in your brain.

“You're the first one to try so hard.Admittedly you're not getting anywhere but it's so fun to watch~”

Those words didn't fit together, somehow. He ‘liked the attention’, ‘liked that you tried so hard’ but you weren't getting anywhere? As in what?  That you weren't getting closer to understanding him? To getting him to talk? Why even say that? It was like he wanted to admit these things to you but to also retain the distance he'd built up between himself and others.

The more you thought about it, the more you noticed the one lie in those little truths.

“Not getting anywhere, huh? Shouldn't that be annoying then? Why would you want someone around who’s trying to understand you but doesn’t?”

“You realize that's literally everyone in the house, right?” Kokichi scoffs.

“Yeah but you haven't necessarily said that you want them around, except maybe Shuichi. So why me?”

“Like I said dummy. It's funny to watch you try so hard” he laughs.

"Funny?” you tilt your head in a seemingly innocent manner, trying to conceal your ulterior motives. “Or do you want me to keep trying?”

Kokichi just stares. Straight at you. His face is void of all emotion and expression. Unsettling doesn't even begin to describe how it felt to be on the receiving end of that look. There's no way to predict what he might do - not the you ever really could anyway but - there's no way to gauge what he might be thinking.  

“You sure do like to talk, don't you?” his voice sounds like something between a low hiss and a gravel road. It sends a shiver right down your spine.

“Only because I'm interested” is what you managed to respond, despite the nerves.

It takes Kokichi a while to say anything. But when he does you can immediately notice the change in attitude.

“You might not want to be interested. There's nothing here to find”

His voice is still something ominous and dark but it was less so this time. In fact… perhaps rather than dark he sounds sad. Broken.

“You say that but somehow I don't believe you”

He breathes out a long sigh. “Are you always this annoying?”

You shrug, a half-hearted smile on your face. “When the situation calls for it”

Kokichi looks like he wants to say something, mouth opening just slightly. But as quickly as it's opened does it find its way shut again. His focus shifts from you to anywhere that's not you, desperate to separate himself from you but… not quite desperate enough to leave it seems.

The two of you sit there for a while, in complete silence. You want to say literally anything to break it but every time a thought pops into your head you find some reason not to speak up. You really are, in all sense of the meaning,  at a loss for words.

So you sit there, gaze drifting up towards the stars. They're bright tonight, you note, effortlessly illuminating the night sky. They hardly compared to the moon's brilliance but that didn't mean they didn't have their own unique charms.  Your eyes start searching for constellations, wondering if maybe you might find a celestial hint to your problem at hand. But, not long into your star gazing-

“It must be nice…” Kokichi whispers.

Your attention immediately snaps back to him.“Hmm?”

“You're lucky you know? They made you into a good person.”

You don't say anything. But somewhere in your gut your stomach starts to flip. You think you know where this is going.

“I think they just attached some fucked up traits to a dart board and shot with their eyes closed when they made me” you can see the tears beginning to bubble in the corners of his eyes. You can _hear_ the sobs threatening to escape.

All you can manage is a sympathetic expression, lost for words once again in the wake of his solemn speech. “Kokichi I…”

“Back in the game, before I realized this was fake, it was so easy to be this way. It was so easy to act like I did because I truly thought that was me. I was okay with lying, with being hated. I was so used to it... but now…”

The tears start to run, dripping down his cheeks and splattering onto the deck below. He chokes on that awful cry he'd been holding back and before you knew it….

Kokichi was sobbing. The boy that always smiled, playfully or otherwise, was sobbing like a newborn without their mother. And your heart broke for him.

“Oh, Kokichi” you breathed, clambering to your feet and rushing to his side. You scoop him up in your arms and just hold him. “I'm so so sorry. I really am”

He just cries, your embrace seeming to trigger the release of any restraint he might’ve had left. You thought he might try to pull away, to get you off of him. Instead he does quite the opposite, clinging onto your shirt in a desperate attempt to latch onto _something._ Those walls he built up came tumbling down like a house on fire and you don't think it was something he was ready to show you but it **was** something he needed to do.

Right now, Kokichi looked like that little broken boy staring up at the stars that you had seen earlier. The more he cried the more you felt like something was squeezing at your heart because this was real. This was Kokichi without the mask, without the lies. He was, for once since you met him, completely transparent and unadulterated. This was real, pure pain and it hurt so bad to see him like this. Especially when you had not the faintest idea what to say to him to fix this.

But you could try.

When his sobs started to subside, to the point where he might be able to hear you again, you leaned into his ear. “I can only imagine what this might be like for you. They really gave you some awful cards to deal with”

He tries to laugh through his tears, a disjointed chuckle resounds in your ear. “Heh, you got that right…”

“And I know this might not help right now but this doesn’t have to be all you are, you know?”

Kokichi pulls back enough to meet your eyes. He looks at you with a curious expression, wiping tears and snot from his face. “What does that mean?”

“What I’m saying is that, no matter how hard it might be, this is the time where you can try to be the person you want to be. You can let us in a little more and maybe stop being so rough on everyone”

Kokichi scoffs at that. “Do you think they honestly want to get to know me after all of this?”

“I think so” you smile, brushing away a few stray strands of hair that had adhered themselves to his face with his drying tears. “They’re much more understanding than you give them credit for. Hell Tsumugi tried to kill all of us but once the truth of the matter was revealed everyone is at least trying to get to know her a little better. They might not love her right now but I’m noticing the small progress she’s making every day”

“And besides” you continue. “I’m out here right now, aren’t I?”

Kokichi manages to give you this half hearted smirk. His eyes are still bloodshot and puffy from crying so the normal effect isn’t as pronounced as it usually is. “Yeah but that’s because you’re weird”

You snort, your head shaking just slightly along with the action. “Yeah, I guess I’d have to be, huh?” you chuckle. “But really though, Kokichi. I think you can do this. You’re allowed to feel this way right now but I know if anyone can, you can make the most of this entirely fucked up situation we’ve been thrust into. You don’t have to be this person that they made you to be”

He’s quiet but you can almost hear the thoughts in his head. _How would I ever do that? I’m so far gone at this point that I don’t know how to change._

“It doesn’t have to be right now, you know? In fact it’s going to take a long time to get to a point where you trust me and the others. But I think you can do it” you smile, trying your best to be encouraging.

“You put a lot of faith in someone who was just hysterically crying over this exact issue” he laughs, trying to get away from his tears, from being vulnerable - even now.

“Of course I do. It was because you broke down and let me see you clearly for even a moment that I believe you can change. You let me see you because you wanted someone to. You wanted someone to try, right?”

Kokichi playfully rolls his eyes. “Are you trying to use my words against me right now?”

“In a way, yes” you laugh. “But it’s for good things”

“Well, I guess since you caught me fair and square… yeah, I think I did” another rare moment of honesty. You were hoping to see more of those in the future.

“Hey, it’s alright to admit it. I think everyone wants someone to see their real self now and again but it’s hard. Particularly when you’re not your own biggest fan. It took me awhile to be vulnerable with everyone too. And while being vulnerable might not be the first thing on your agenda, maybe just getting to know everyone might be a good start?”

“Don’t you think they’re going to think it’s weird if I try to do that?”

“Maybe but I think they’ll also appreciate it. Part of the reason everyone is so wary of you is because they don’t know you but… I get the feeling they want to”

His head tilts just the slightest. “Why is that?”

“Because we all live in this house now. We’re all victims with similar scars trying to adapt to a life that we, more or less, know nothing about. There’s safety in having a community, in having a support group and I think at this point everyone in this house wants to be apart of that” you explained, rubbing his shoulders affectionately.

He’s quiet for a moment again. Then - “I guess that makes sense, in a really sappy way” he laughs, grin slowly returning to his face.

“Sappy or not as long as you get the idea that’s all that matters”

“Yeah, yeah. You’ve been talking so much there’s no way I can’t understand it now”

“Good, that was the point”

The quiet aftermath of Kokichi’s sobbing is replaced with lighthearted laughter and you can feel that place in your chest ease just so. It’s a nice feeling after this roller coaster of a night.

“Hey ____?” Kokichi says suddenly.

“Mm?”

There’s this look of bashfulness in his eyes and you noticed that his fingers are starting to twiddle with each other ever so slightly.

“Thank you”

You feel your breath get caught in your heart, inflating it like a little balloon.

“Thank you for staying out here and watching me be stupid”

You smile, warm and content before slowly reaching out to pull him into another embrace. Much like last time, he doesn’t pull away, in fact you can feel him pressing into you.

“You don’t have to thank me, I’m glad I was here”

\- - -

And it was after that, that you noticed Kokichi being a bit more open with you. You didn’t have to fight him as much to get him to open up. He started to change and while he would always be Kokichi in the sense that he loved to banter and be mischievous, it started to become more lighthearted as time went on.

As you sat there, with the young man happily in your lap blowing up moblins, you couldn’t help but be thankful that you had taken the opportunity. You were glad you stayed up that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaAAAAAAAAAAA I'm sorry this is so late guys!! 
> 
> I'll spare you the details but I got back from my convention and everything kind of went to ass and I couldn't get to anything until a few weeks ago. 
> 
> Thank God tho, college is almost out and I'll have all summer to write shit so I'm pumped. 
> 
> I had intended to write for a different character since we've gotten a bunch of Kokichi but I wanted a chapter where he really was forced to actually open up and this would explain why he's so comfortable with the reader now. So I figured why not actually write an angst chapter for Kichi since you guys had asked - so here it is!! 
> 
> I do intend to give the others some love soon. Miu, Rantaro, Kirumi and Ryoma are tops on my list in no particular order and Shuichi will definitely be getting a chapter of his own as well as some nsfw content (ohhohhoho). 
> 
> Anyway I do hope you guys like this, this story isn't by any means on hiatus and if it ever does go on one I'll put it in the description for sure so that you guys know what's going on, I'd never leave you hanging I promise. 
> 
> Thank you for sticking around and uh, hey keep an eye on my account because I might be releasing something for a different anime (it's an oldie but a goodie about detectives and a notebook *hint hint*) soon so look out for that.


	10. Warm, Hot, Heat [Kokichi][Shuichi] [NSFW]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is it really? Is it a NSFW chapter? You bet your ass it is! 
> 
> Long story short: you get it on in a threesome with Shuichi and Kokichi. Shuichi is a delicious bottom and Kokichi is the supreme switch, which ironically you are as well. 
> 
> Enjoy!

WARNING: IN CASE YOU DIDN'T CATCH THE CHAPTER SUMMARY THIS IS A NSFW CHAPTER  

 

 

 _It’s probably quite warm outside_ , you thought at one point during that day.

How ironic then, was it, to have thought that, to have thought about getting away from the heat only to be enveloped in a kind of heat that sunk through your skin and wrapped around every part of your body. A heat that you could feel in your core, circulating and tightening as wet tongues lapped at your skin.

“Oh boys… you're so good at this...” you moaned softly. Both of your hands are tangled in locks of hair, gently pulling at roots as you tried to maintain any kind of control over this situation.

There’s a  detective at your ear, groaning something soft and needy. His breath grows long and drawn out the more he sucks at your skin, soon leaving that pleasurable spot by the back of  your ear to venture lower, peppering kisses down to that sweet spot at the base of your neck. His lips rest in the divet of your clavicle where he gently pulls the skin in between his teeth, drawing a low moan out of your mouth. Shuichi had always been a careful, more submissive lover but it wasn’t like he didn’t look for those little spots that would make you want him. He knew where many of the sweeter parts of your body were and when he could he always liked to pay special attention to them.

Kokichi, on the other hand, had peppered his hickeys all over your neck long ago so that he might entangle his tongue in the juicier bits of your body. His mouth is wrapped around your breast, suckling the flesh into his mouth as his tongue swirls around your nipple. You can feel his teeth gently close in around the nub and at your sharp intake of breath you can feel the vibrations of his giggle hum around your skin.

“You like that, huh?” he teases, wisping words against you. “You like when I play with your tits?”

His words, without a doubt, are meant to make you squirm - and they do, ever so slightly - but coming from Kokichi, with those soft undertones of humor, you can’t help but chuckle just a bit.

“Obviously..” you murmur, a smile spreading out over your lips as your fingers dig a bit more into his hair. “They _are_ tits after all..”

You can feel Kokichi giggling some more against you, clearly amused by your reply. Even if your whole body felt like it was slowly melting in the hands of these boys you couldn’t help but try to act a little aversive. It made things fun and comfortable, you had come to find, if you didn’t just slink into the pleasure but rather acknowledged it and contributed to it.

“Nehehe~” he snickers, letting go of your breast with a soft pop. “Then maybe I need to try something else to get you to be a little bit louder~”

You quirk an eyebrow at him through hazy eyes. Curious, interested and definitely excited.

He only responds in facial features, grin sliding easily into a smirk as he slinks his small body down yours. He presses kisses down the center of your body along his journey until he reaches the edge of your underwear.

Suddenly it all makes sense.

He hums against you, trailing a kiss back up to your belly button, where he swipes his tongue over the hole, making you shudder at the lewd act.

“A-Ah hey!” you stutter.

“Sensitive~” Kokichi snickers at you. You want to say something along the lines of ‘well yeah I haven't exactly had a tongue there before’ but his next proposition is far more interesting than anything you had to say. “Should I keep going? Hmm~?”

He should've known the answer to that.

“What do you think?” you laugh softly as a  sigh slips from your lips. Your eyes slipped closed as you lazily rolled your head to the side to allow Shuichi’s seeking tongue to find more skin to suckle at.

“Say please~” Kokichi teases, looking up at you with an impish grin as his fingers dance along your waistband.

The look in his eyes is something undeniable. He looks like he's starving, eager to sink his tongue into your sweet folds and slurp you up until there was nothing left. The longer you look at him the tighter the coil in your stomach winds and it's obvious by that look in his eyes whether you begged or not you would be getting what you wanted regardless. But God did you want his mouth to be doing something much more interesting than talking.

“Oh please, great leader -” and there's a hint of coyness in your tone despite the need “- eat my pussy”

The gleam that shines over his eyes is absolutely _wanting_. The minute that sentence left your mouth, coy or otherwise, the small man before you was immediately wound up to do just what you hoped he'd do.

“How naughty~” he coos.  “But I suppose you did say please”

Kokichi hooks his fingers into your waistband and slowly pulls your underwear down. The minute your warmth is exposed to his eyes you notice they never leave it, anchored to the spot. In the beginning such intense attention to a place you kept otherwise private made you uncomfortable but now you'd grown used to it. In fact now you savored that expression. That look meant Kokichi _wanted_ you, in all possible ways and it just made you feel so warm and tingly, so undeniably _good_ that now there was no room to feel uncomfortable.  

“You're already so wet~” he observes, having tossed your underwear to one end of the room, forgotten now and to be rediscovered later.

“Is it really -ah- ” your breath hitches as Shuichi’s hand finds it's way, finally, to the ignored breast Kokichi hadn't been suckling “s-such a surprise? I'm being teased from both sides...”

As if to emphasize your point you draw the other half of ‘both sides’, who’s been preoccupied with your neck, up to your mouth and capture his in your own. You feel Shuichi moan into your kiss, breathing labored as you suck at his lips. Through half lidded eyes you can see the blood bubbling up to the surface of Shuichi's cheeks. He looks so shy, like he wants to close his eyes out of fluster of having your gaze so intently on him but he can’t bare not having you in his sights. His gaze is hazy and needy and so _fuckable._ He looks like he wants you to take him right then and there and by God you would have if you weren't about to get eaten out.  

“Oh man that's so hot” Kokichi groans, eyes glued to the union of yours and Shuichi's lips, delighting in the sight of your teeth gently biting on the flesh of his lower lip and the subsequent squeak he let out.

“Keep doing that, I want a show with my dinner” the purple haired boy requests, running his tongue over his lips. The act alone makes you shiver as you catch that primal gleam reflected in his eyes out of the corner of your own. Those same eyes soon drift down to your heat, which only makes your cheeks flush redder.

The smaller male dips down to the knee of your right leg, spreading kisses from there all the way up to your inner thigh. His fingers slide up to part your labia -which causes your breath to catch ever so slightly- and then he finally takes the plunge, licking a hot stripe up the entirety of your clitoris. This time your breath is far more than just a hitch as a moan jumps from your mouth at the contact.

“Oh _fuck_ ” you rasp into Shuichi’s mouth, fingers rooting deeply into Kokichi’s hair.

The boy in turn hums pleasantly against your pussy, the vibration making you clutch your fingers around his hair. You try to mind your grip but God damn is it hard when he knows exactly what he’s doing.

“You make such beautiful sounds…” Shuichi mumbles against your lips, hazy eyes anchored to your moaning mouth. He looks so enamored with you, like he would breath in your moans forever if you would let him.

You laugh, a reflexive reaction to how your heart jumped into your throat at this kind of attention.

“Aww, well aren’t you sweet” you croon, pressing a kiss to the tip of his nose. “Maybe we should get you a-haaa” -you have to take in a breath as Kokichi latches his lips to your clitoris and starts to suckle- “a...a bit more involved too, huh, Shuichi?” you whisper, trying to articulate a full sentence through moans, which was no easy task.

The expression in his eyes holds a hint of curiosity now, wondering just exactly you were planning to do. “O-Oh… how would you do that…?”

You cock an eyebrow deviously in his direction as the hand that was once tangled in his hair starts to unfurl around him. You let your hand caress over his cheek - a gesture of which he leans into quite happily, savoring your gentle touch - and slowly move it down. Over his chest, down his stomach and underneath the hem of his oversized night shirt.

Shuichi sucks in a breath as your fingers easily find the bulge threatening to pop right out of his briefs. “A-Ah!”

“Mm~ Hard already, huh, Shuichi?” you tease, playful in your words.

He swallows, nodding in place of any words as he’s far too lost in the way it felt to have your hand so close to something so tender, so in _need_ of your special attention.

“You’re so cute, you know that?” you moan, dipping in for another kiss as your hand slithers inside of his underwear, wrapping your fingers around his cock. Shuichi shudders against you, a high pitched, breathy moan slipping out of his throat and down into yours. God he was _so_ cute. Just as he could eat and breath your moans you felt similarly. All those little squeaks and little bursts of verbal affirmation of pleasure were like music in your ears.

“That a boy, Shuichi” you praise, now starting jerk him off, an action that has him squirming against you. The detective is trying so hard to keep it together, to keep his voice in the back of his throat but those little squeaks and breathy moans of _‘ahh fuck’_ still escape him.

“You can moan, you know? I like listening to you, _baby_ ” you coo into his ear, whispering that pet name in such a delightfully sinuous manner that the only appropriate response Shuichi’s body could come up with is to tremble against you. He buries his face in the crook of your neck, moaning wantonly as you continue to pump his cock.

“W-Wait…” you hear him murmur weakly after a while. “I-I..ah, don’t want to cum yet…”

“You’re that close, babe?”

Shuichi only nods, a bit embarrassed to have been so close to the edge just from listening to you moaning.

“Why don’t I just work you off then?”

He shakes his head.

“Mm… I want you... “ he’s finding it hard to finish his sentence, blush only darkening as you continue to draw patchy squeaks from him. “I want to come inside you… when you take me…”

He buries his face ever deeper into your neck, not ashamed but definitely embarrassed to have admitted that out loud. You on the other hand feel this swirl of adoration and love bloom in the pocket of your heart that was reserved just for Shuichi. How could one boy be so utterly adorable?

“Yeah?”

You can feel Shuichi nod just slightly.

“Aw, that’s cute. Don’t worry I’ll make you feel real good for being such a good boy and waiting for me” you giggle, pressing a soft kiss to his earlobe.

From below you can hear - no, feel - the way Kokichi is humming approvingly at this display and with every vibration against your clit that sounds like ‘oh fuck’ or ‘that’s so hot’ drew the coil in your stomach tighter and tighter, evermore feeling like it could burst at the subtle crook of Kokichi’s tongue in the right spot.

“Oh fuck, Kichi, that’s so good” you praise, as your hips slide up into his mouth.

He elicits another cheerful hum before engulfing your clit in one, long, hard suck. The coil in your stomach suddenly bursts open and an ecstatic shudder ruptures out through your entire body, engulfing you in the feeling.

“ _Ohh my God…!_ ” your voice rings out. This time you had no control over how tightly you wind your fingers into Kokichi’s hair, overcome by the sensation of climaxing and the feeling of him eagerly nuzzling his face into your pussy to lap up every bit of you that came spurting out.

You expect to be breathless in the next moments, complacently wading out through your high but instead much the opposite happens. Kokichi apparently hasn’t had his fill yet as his tongue continues to lap at you, drawing out these sudden jerks from your body. You’re incredibly sensitive right now and every little touch against your clit sends your body into this uncomfortable but far too pleasurable spasm that you don’t know how to deal with.

“K-Kichi I-I came already, cut it out..” you stutter, breathless as you try to control your body but to no avail.

He doesn’t listen still continuing his quest to - for all intents and purposes - finish his dinner.

“Kokichi..!” you warn, moving your legs together so that his head is squished between your thighs, effectively halting his movements. “I said knock it off…”

“Oh my God yesss” he groans suddenly, voice muffled in . “Please crush me with your thighs, ___”

“Get out of there, Kokichi” you huff, now starting to feel the cool down as he’s halted in his actions. Soon enough his head’s popped out from between your thighs and God does he look a mess. Your fluids are all over his face and he’s still licking cum from his lips as though it were some leftover chocolate from a sundae.

“Have I ever told you that you taste absolutely fucking amazing?” Kokichi grins up at you. “I could’ve eaten you out all day”

Your stomach stirs in a giddy whirl and your cheeks darken considerably in color at the compliment.

“Yeah? Guess we’ll have to try that one day” you laugh, reaching a hand up to gently wipe some of your fluids off of his face.

“Definitely. But right now I thiiink…” he taps a finger to his cheek, apparently in thought. The curious look shifts quickly however as he’s once again wearing his devious grin. “I want to watch you ride Shuichi until he’s screaming for you~ You know, since he’s been so patient and all?”

Leave it to Kokichi to say something so explicit so casually.

Shuichi’s face immediately darkens, to the point where even the tips of his ears are starting to turn red. “R-Right now? Are you… do you want to rest first?”

The idea sounds tempting. Your whole body felt weak but content, in a way that you felt like you could curl up with these boys and stay that way until the three of you had passed out into a peaceful slumber. But on the other hand you had a sneaking suspicion that that outcome would only service you in the end and it wasn’t like you _didn’t_ want to keep going after all.

“You’re sweet to worry about me, Shuichi” you chirp, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. “But I think I’m alright. Besides Kokichi is right, you’ve been so patient”

“W-Well… as long as you’re alright with it…”

 _Oh my God he’s so cute_ you thought, looking at that adorably red face.

“Of course I am” you smile, maneuvering yourself in front of him. “Now lay back and get comfortable”

Shuichi responds to your gentle command almost immediately, laying back against the pillows and spreading out his legs so that it was easier for you to climb on top of him. His bulge is prominently poking out of his underwear, still very much aroused from the attention you had given it earlier. You hook your fingers into the fabric and pull it down the length of his body, tossing it somewhere off into the corner of the room to join your own.

While you push up Shuichi’s shirt, helping him to slide it off over his head Kokichi is settling into his own comfortable position behind you, at the edge of the bed. He’s got a hand around his cock, clearly ready for the encore to the show he had witnessed earlier.

“You alright back there, Kokichi?” you ask, casting a glance over your shoulder.

“Oh, you bet!” he grins. “I get to watch two hot people get it on, I’m more than alright”

You can’t help but laugh just a bit, again feeling this swirl of pride in your heart to know that you were among the people Kokichi deemed to be attractive. That might've been obvious given how many times you'd be intimate but it was still nice to hear. “Well, enjoy the show, then”

“Oh I _intend_ to~” he purrs.

Following that, you turn back to Shuichi, who’s still pleasantly red in the face and eagerly waiting for you to slide yourself on top of him. You don’t have to ask if he’s ready, you can see the response clear as day but you felt compelled to anyway.

“You ready, Shuichi?”

He nods slowly, looking up at you through a hazy expression once more. “Y-Yes…”

At his reassurance it doesn’t take you much longer to indulge him. You climb on top of his body, moving up until your hole is sitting just above his cock. Slowly, you spread your legs until you’ve taken him in completely and -

 _oh fuck he feels so good._ Shuichi had a modest cock but it’s length and thickness felt _perfect_ inside of you. You let out a long, breathy moan as you hit the base of his cock, having now enveloped him inside of you. “Ohh, you feel so good, Shuichi”

Said man had thrown his head back against the pillows the minute your pussy had settled over the tip, a loud moan erupting from his mouth. The lower you went the more he tried to settle his deep breaths and catch a grip on reality. You can see his fingers gripping into the sheets below him and it’s obvious how good this must be for him but you ask anyway.

“Does that feel good, baby?” you ask, leaning over his body to whisper softly into his ear.

Shuichi nods eagerly, eyes a half lidded mess. “Y-Yes, it’s amazing... “

“Good, that’s what I like to hear” you breathe, pressing a kiss behind his ear.

You wrap one of your hands into his and rest the other one on the bed to hold your balance as you start to move. You swivel your hips against him, drawing out more moans from the detective that mingled with your own.

“Oh Shuichi, you feel so good” you praise, pulling yourself back up so that you can better handle yourself on top of him.

Once you start really working him, bouncing on his dick, Shuichi is all but lost, moaning openly into the room. He’s not exactly loud but he’s whiny and squeaky, breath hitching every time you met the base of his cock and he sounds so _delicious_. Every other word out of his mouth - when he could formulate words - sounds like “oh god” or “___, faster!” or it's just your name and you couldn’t get enough of it.

His pleas for you to move faster are ones you also easily obliged. He felt so good you couldn’t help but want more of it, want more of his dick moving inside you and once Shuichi had surpassed his flustered state enough to start meeting your thrusts - _oh that was it._

You found yourself flopped over on top of him, eagerly intertwining your tongue with his own as it hung out of his mouth. Shuichi responds immediately, pressing his mouth against yours and breathing hard and whimpering into your own. You two were a mess of euphoria, eagerly riding against each other to meet that happy ending.

You can feel his fingers clutching onto your own and his free hand curls up into your hair, pushing your mouth as close as it could possibly be to his. You can vaguely hear Kokichi praising the two of you in the back of your mind but you're so focused on Shuichi and his cock and how incredibly good this feels. You know you're not going to last much longer and judging by the sounds of Shuichi's voice he isn't either. Reluctantly you pull away from your heated kiss to press your forehead against his.

“You close, baby?” you breathe against his lips, strings of saliva trailing from his mouth to yours.

“Y-yes oh God yes….!” he whimpers into your mouth. “A-are you?”

“How could I not be? You're so good at this” you purr deeply through breathy moans.

Shuichi looks up at you with this star gazed expression, just staring adoringly into your eyes before he pulls you down for another kiss. You respond eagerly, tangling your tongue with his as the two of you continue to meet each others movements, thrusting Shuichi deeper inside of you with every pulse.

“Oh my God you two are so fucking hot” Kokichi purrs from behind you. As much as you might have wanted to respond you were far too preoccupied with sucking Shuichi's tongue and riding his cock until you couldn't possibly take it anymore.

At least he was enjoying himself though.

You stay suctioned to Shuichi for a while, moaning into the other's mouth until -

Shuichi angles just the right way and _oh fuck you were cumming_. You let out a loud moan as stars flash behind your eyeballs and the subsequent tightening of your walls around his cock draws out his own climax, and an even louder moan that sounds an awful lot like your name mixes in the air with your voice.

Exhausted and spent you find yourself gently collapsing on top of Shuichi,  nuzzling your face into his neck. “That was so good…” you whisper, pressing your lips to his skin.

You can feel his lips on the top of your head which, coupled with his shallow breaths and the heave of his chest,  creates this unbelievably comfortable feeling in your chest. You honestly could've passed out content and happy just like that, in just that moment. But a low whine alerts you suddenly to something you'd forgotten in the haze of climaxing.

“Aww man you guys came too quick, I didn't get to finish!”

You can't help muffling a chuckle against Shuichi's skin. It wasn't that you'd forgotten Kokichi was there - how could you when he'd been doing nothing but praising the two of you the whole time - but you'd been so caught up in the moment that you hadn't been thinking about his end of things.

“Sorry Kichi” you call softly, slowly lifting yourself off of the detective you'd just fucked -much to his dismay- and lazily crawled your way over to the smaller man.

“Guess I owe you then, huh?” you purr, blowing gently on the erect cock you'd made yourself level with. Looking up you can see the way his face is flushed, terribly red even with the grin he wore to mask it.

“I certainly wouldn't object~ Seeing that pretty little mouth wrapped my dick might be exactly what I need” he teases, threading his fingers through your hair. His touch is gentle, a stark contrast to his rather forward statements but you had come to realize that in the bedroom he took everyone's wellbeing into account.  

“Yeah? Well that's certainly something I can do” you croon, licking from the base of his cock up to the tip, all the while never breaking eye contact. You can _feel_ the tremble his little body succumbs to and that otherwise confident expression is starting to falter. You can see the need, that pleading look beginning to glaze over his eyes. You can only imagine how wound up he must be from having spent all this time drenched in sexual atmosphere but being denied orgasm while his other two partners we're already spent.  

“Oohh yeah that's good” he purrs, mimicking a similar voice you'd used on him earlier. One that wasn't quite so submissive but was rather very expressive of how good you made him feel. “More of that”

Your lips wrap around the head and you suck around it, _hard_ , drawing a sharp breath from Kokichi. Oh, he was definitely close. His cock was hard and the tip was saturated from the amount of pre cum he'd been squeezing out.

“You're so wet” you let your words vibrate around his cock, this time drawing a deep moan out of the bottom of his throat.

“ _Fuck”_ he hiccups, grasping tighter onto your hair.

It would be around that time, as you slowly started to bob on his dick that you would feel the bed begin to rustle, your other lover seemingly rousing from his position at the head of the bed. The next thing you know you can feel his body next to you and there's a soft kiss being pressed at your cheek.

“Let me help” he breathes into your ear.You smile around the cock in your throat  before popping your mouth off of it.

“Go on, babe. I'm sure he'd love that” you grin, casting a glance over at Kokichi who looks like he can barely contain himself at the prospect of the both of you sucking him off, _at the same time_.

“My beloved ___ and Shuichi sucking me off? How could I not love that?” he giggles, spreading his legs wider so as to allow the both of you more access to his throbbing erection.

You take the invitation, licking more so on one side and occasionally sucking at the tip while Shuichi sticks to the other side and occasionally dips down to suckle his balls. Given the close proximity it wasn’t odd for your tongues to brush past one another every few minutes and every time they did Kokichi’s moaning became more pronounced. Whenever your mouths met around his shaft his heightened state of pleasure only seemed to increase. At one point the two of you met at the tip of his cock, lips meeting in something of a half kiss as you both closed your lips around it and suckled at the heated flesh.

“Oh my fucking God…. you two are amazing” Kokichi breathes, hips moving to thrust between your mouths and create an even greater friction that he could get lost in. “I-I think I’m gonna cum..”

You had half a mind to tease him, to say “already?” but then the thought occurred to you that seeing him splutter and spasm within the release of a prolonged orgasm might just be a sight all the sweeter. That image in mind you suck hard around the part of Kokichi’s cock that’s in your mouth, which judging by the sudden gasp of a breath he took, tugged him ever closer to the end. The real release came however when you wrapped your hand around the base of his shaft and started _pumping._

“O-Oh fuck - ahh!”

Within seconds he came, semen erupting both into and onto yours and Shuichi’s mouths. You take your time sucking the fluids off of him, coaxing out those sensitive little whimpers and involuntary spasms he’d drawn out from you. You look up at him through sensual eyes, taking in that delicious, rare expression on his face. His mouth is hanging open, tongue threatening to spill out and he looks absolutely awe struck, bashful even with that cherry red face of his. His eyes are lidded and he’s breathing heavily. His body is trembling slightly, arms threatening to give out under the weight of this euphoria.

“Holy shit…” he breathes, trying to regain some composure. “That was so good…”

You pop your mouth off of his cock, having been the last one on it, and crawl over to him, wrapping him up in your arms. It’s a gesture that he responds to quite happily, nuzzling his face into your chest as his tired body falls limp against you. “Just returning the favor, Kichi~”

The smaller man in your arms you flop down against the mattress, content to just let Kokichi lay on top of you - it was normally where he wound up anyway - and soon enough Shuichi moves in to complete the puzzle, wrapping his arms around the two of you as he nuzzles his face into the crook of your neck for what felt like the umpteenth time that day but it wasn’t like you were really complaining.

You press a kiss to both of their heads, lacing your fingers with Shuichi’s free hand and finding that nothing could break the eternal feeling of happiness and contentedness that you were experiencing right now.

“I love you, guys” you murmur, blissfully content in this moment and transparently honest in your words.

You hear those words echoed into your own ears -

“Love you too ____~”

  
“I love you too ____”

\- and with a bubble of happiness in your chest you fall asleep with two of your most precious people at your side.

It was a warmth no summer day could ever compare to.  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT TOOK ME THREE YEARS TO WRITE THIS BUT IT WAS WORTH IT! 
> 
> I'm sorry if this is awkward it's been a while since I wrote smut and while it is a favorite past time of mine I might be a little rusty. But even still this was a joy to write and I hope you guys like it! 
> 
> I also tried to keep it as gender neutral as possible but where sex scenes are concerned it's a bit more difficult, especially when there's things going into other things and what not but even though the reader has a vagina and biologically female parts doesn't mean you can't still imagine them to be trans or nonbinary if you so choose. I may write an alternate scene at the bottom of this fic in the future where the reader has the other set of parts but this took so long to write as it currently is and I really wanted to get it out to you guys so that'll be something that will come later on if I decide to! 
> 
> Either way I hope you guys enjoy this! Thank you so much for reading!


	11. Routine Maintenance [Rantaro][Kirumi][Miu][Ryoma][Angie]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You recount the parts of your life that had become routine with the different people in your life. It's not all normal, some of it is, but not all. Of course, that's just how things were in this house.

After a while of living in a stable environment it’s only natural that certain events and phases of life start to become routine. Unlike the linear patterns of most families or couples that were much, much smaller in number and not so diverse as your household, the routines in your house were numerous and sometimes - no, most of the time - required more than one person. Somehow, more often than not, you were that other person. This is a list of your recountence of some of those such routines that you had been apart of those past two years. 

 

\----------------Shopping and Kirumi---------------

There were a few things that a house always needed, especially one quite as big as yours. Cleaning supplies, an abundance of surge protectors, first aid products and other such things were important but there was something that took precedence among all of those things. It was something that no matter what you did, no matter how much you bought, within two weeks it needed to be replenished. 

That thing was food. Ah, yes - food. 

Of course, most people in the house - despite craving food - didn’t want to make the trip to do such large amounts of shopping. Rantaro would come a long occasionally and if Maki was home early from work or off she would tag along but normally this responsibility fell to Kirumi. 

Kirumi was, arguably, the most strategic, planned and logical thinking person in the house so a lot of the “adulting” fell to her in the end. As much as you hated doing menial tasks you also felt incredibly guilty that Kirumi usually single handedly kept the house up to snuff and rarely ever complained. It probably had to do with her now adopted persona as a maid but even still, she was still a person that deserved help and respect. In that sense, you thought the least you could do was come along shopping with her and as such had her schedule her shopping day around your second day off from work which fell on the weekends when you didn’t have any classes. 

Today was that day and soon after the sun rose high up into the sky, signalling the start of another day, did you find yourself in the grocery store with Kirumi. The two of you walk up and down the aisles, chatting happily as you pull things from the shelf in accordance to her humongous list and compare prices. 

“I feel like this one is bigger, yeah? For the extra two dollars maybe it’s worth it?” you suggested, holding a rather large container of salt out for Kirumi to see. 

She inspects the container, checking over the amount in the bottle and comparing it to the one she had picked up previously. Ultimately, after a minute of observation, Kirumi agrees with you. 

“You’re quite right, [Name]. This would be the wiser purchase in the long run” she smiles, placing the larger container in the cart and the other one back on the shelf. “This is why I like having you around, you’re always looking out”

You chuckle at that. “So you’re using me for a bargain then, huh?” 

She laughs softly into the back of her hand, regarding you with a soft expression. “Well while I won’t deny that is true, I can also assure you that it is not only that”

“Oh yeah? What else then?” you pry curiously. 

“Your company is a very welcome addition. You make this… whole process far more enjoyable than it normally is” she grows flustered during the middle of her sentence, as if something had gotten caught in her mind the longer she spoke. 

“Aww, Kirumi” you coo, lacing your arms around her waist from behind. “You’re so sweet to me. I’m glad I make this not quite so boring!” 

“Me too” she says quietly. “I fear I may have gotten fed up with it some time ago had you not been here” 

“Oh my God I would get so annoyed doing this alone. Especially on the days when the old people all decide to congregate in here and block all the fucking aisles. I swear they have some kind of telepathy to just alert everyone to be here at the same time” 

Kirumi laughs, in a much more pronounced manner at that, running her fingers along your hands. “Yes, it certainly does seem that way doesn’t it?” 

“Mm. You know what else though?” you inquire, pulling her a bit closer to yourself. 

“O-Oh?” she stutters. “What else do I know?” 

“It’s cute shopping with you too, I feel like this is our time to bond. Everything just feels so domestic and couple-y I can’t help but love having this time with you” 

You don’t see her, but you can almost feel the blush and the gentle smile that grow on her face. “Ah… yes, I agree” 

This was the majority of how your shopping routines went. Cute and sweet, ever reminding you of the love you were surrounded with in this life. 

 

\---------------The Work Shift and Rantaro--------------

Another part of being an adult, sans buying necessities, very much included making money to support many different aspects of living a comfortable life. The agency that had rescued the lot of you had put you up for quite some time with no payment in return, only the promise of your continual growth was enough for them, but after some time it started to feel like you were taking advantage of their kindness. Furthermore, as time ticked on it felt only right that you all started to find jobs to help support each other and the house. It was apparent, being that you all had agreed to a polyamorous relationship some time ago along with some other factors, that none of you were planning to leave any time soon. On the contrary it seemed many people in the house believed that this house would be the place they would stay until they died. 

Therefore, that meant supporting the house you would live in until the day came when the wind stole your last bits of breath. 

When you started looking you quickly found that, in your circumstances, even if you were possibly the most suited to be a therapist out of everyone in the whole damn country without proper documentation your skills didn’t matter. Ultimates were a fictional idea dreamed up by Team Danganronpa so it would suffice to say that in the real world, being one held about as much merit as someone who claimed they could play the drums just because they excelled in Rockband. If you haven’t put in the time and the effort, without the experience, there was no place for you in the working world. 

That reality ate at you for a long time. 

But someone in the house had a different approach to things, mostly because his ‘ultimate talent’ was one that was almost entirely unprofitable, yet he made the most of things. He went out and got a part time job as a shelf stocker and once he saw you down in a rut, unable to come to terms with your lack of real world importance, he suggested you come work with him. 

Then you did… and it helped, a lot. You didn’t realize how much a paycheck, even a small one, would make you feel like you were contributing to the house. When you could hand over half of your check to the collection of bills every week you really felt like you were doing something right; and the longer you remained at that job the more your hours grew and so did your contribution to the upholding of the house. 

Thinking back on it, you really couldn’t thank Rantaro enough. He was the one who put his foot in the door and helped you follow in after him, saving yourself from a spiral of self depreciation that you weren’t sure you could talk yourself out of that time. 

Not only that but he was the perfect co-worker. Hard working, smart and funny. Work never felt like work when he was around and the two of you always made the most of your day, as he was one to never let a day pass by without having done something at least semi productive. The two of you kept your department running, tidy and in balance. It was almost sad how much your manager depended on the two of you but that worked out in your favor in the end. It meant more hours and more freedom, which you were both more than fine with.

At this time it’s nearing the end of your shift and it’s about that time when you realize the two of you had yet to take your last break. 

“Oh hey, we never went on our last break” you mention, turning to Rantaro who had just finished unloading his last box onto a pallet in the warehouse. 

“Oh man, you’re right. I guess we got so wrapped up in cleanup that we completely forgot” he chuckles softly, rubbing at the back of his head. 

“I mean, don’t we always?” you chuckle back, eyes fixed in a knowing expression, as if this was anything new. 

Rantaro laughs once more, nodding in agreement to your statement. “Yeah, nothing new there, I suppose” 

The two of you then agree to run off and buy some sort of snack and meet back at the time clock before your break. You do just that and soon enough find yourself in the employee break room which is surrounded in a comfortable silence given that it was so late and by now many of the other employees had left. 

You’re both sat on one of the two old couches in the room, resting your aching legs. The longer you sit, the more the tiredness settles into your bones and the more the desire to cuddle up into your bed and take a nice long nap after the length of today becomes more prevalent. However, all you had in your current situation was Rantaro and a chocolate bar - which when you thought about it was actually a pretty nice compromise.

You lean over, head resting against his shoulder gently. You hear him hum softly, wrapping an arm around you and beckoning you closer to him. You take that que happily, snuggling into his warm, comfortable body. Even in the worst of times Rantaro made you feel so comfortably small and secure, things you otherwise had trouble feeling on your own in the beginning. It felt like being next to him was the safest place you could be. He was always such a comfort and a delight to you, so moments like this were ones you cherished. 

“Kinda glad we waited until now to go on break” Rantaro muses softly, hands sifting through your hair gently. 

“Me too” you hum, cuddling up closer into his chest. “It’s nice to have some time alone without our co-workers teasing us” 

“Some of them just love to scream when they get in here too” he laughs. “That gets a little annoying sometimes”

“I mean, I can’t necessarily blame them but you’re not wrong about it being annoying” 

Chuckles intertwine and mix in the gentle quiet of the breakroom. The two of you continue on much that way until your break is over and it’s time to go home, wherein which you take your conversation and your weary bodies to whatever comfortable surface you find first to continue your cuddling. 

It was always the best way to end a long shift. 

 

\-----------Ryoma and Tennis-----------

When you say it had taken Royma a long time to get back into tennis, you meant a loooong time. The revelation that his skills had been something falsely implanted into him and the crippling loneliness that came with believing he was a criminal for use of those skills only drove him farther from the sport. 

Though for you it was hard to miss the way his eyes were unmistakably drawn to every community court you passed on walks around the city. He missed it, you could tell. The confliction of falsities and the way the sport eased his troubled mind was eating at him and after a while it became apparent to you that he needed to go back to doing what he loved. That he needed to shelve what Team Danganronpa had done to him and just accept his love for this thing that gave him peace, whether that love was cultivated in dishonesty or not because now it was real. 

You started at first by carrying a bag with two tennis rackets, at first telling Ryoma that it was clothes you needed to drop off at the cleaners, but soon revealing the truth the closer you got to one of the vacant courts. He resisted at first, watching you flail around stupidly as you tried to play tennis with yourself. 

Eventually, he was overcome with emotion at watching such a pitiful display and even if it was only for ten minutes, you convinced him to pick up a racket again. You kept up this habit until eventually Ryoma settled back into playing the sport and sometimes on your walks home from work you would catch him out at the courts alone, easily able to parry his own serves for hours upon hours. In the beginning he would run when you caught him, ashamed almost, but after some time he started inviting you to play. 

That too became a routine and eventually you found yourself to be a decent tennis player under his mentorship. 

You’d been going for a while, returning each other’ hits for what felt like hours without end. After you had learned the basics and had gotten a hang on your footing as a player you were actually a bit of a challenge for Ryoma. Nothing special but he had told you on more than one occasion that you had him working up a sweat, something that was rare from what he remembered.  
“Don’t slip up on me” Ryoma taunts from beyond the net as you almost trip running for a ball he’d launched to the other side of the net, skirting just close enough to the out of bounds line but never passing it. 

“As IF” you huff, just barely slapping the ball back to his side of the court. 

Ryoma counters easily, lighting speed reflexes activating as he steps - almost in a whirl - to retrieve the ball that he again launches much farther away from you than you had anticipated he might. 

It’s hopeless but you try, weak legs brambling for the ball and in a last ditch effort you throw yourself at it and while your racket does touch the ball by that time you had run out of energy to return it completely across the court, instead it gets stuck in the net and your almost hour long game comes to a close. 

“I’d say you’ve got a ways to go but that was actually pretty solid” you hear Ryoma compliment from his side of the court, voice slowly getting closer to your heaving, sweaty body. 

“Well… thanks….” you laugh, trying to catch your breath. 

Ryoma chuckles, deep voice humming in your ears. “Here” he says, pouring some water from his bottle onto his hands and wiping the cool liquid over your face in an attempt to cool you off. 

“Thanks…” you huff, feeling a gentle swirl of butterflies in your stomach as you close your eyes, happily leaning into his affections. Ryoma wasn’t the most romantic but he knew how to take care of people. He was, in all manner of the concept, the biker dad with a heart of gold. In your case it was more like the biker boyfriend with a heart of gold but that was semantics you didn’t feel like fussing with in your exhausted state. 

“You did really well out there. You catch on quick” he speaks, still gently rubbing the water over your face. 

“Well, I’ve got a good teacher, don’t I?” you smile, playful tweak of a smirk on your lips. 

You can pretty much hear him smirk in front of you. “You’re damn right, you do” 

“Then I guess it’s no surprise I’ve gotten so good, yeah?” 

“Normally I’d say yes but this has all got to do with your own perseverance. I just nudged you in the right direction…” he grows quiet for a moment, letting the wind blow gently by. “...and after you gave me this sport back it’s the least I can do” 

Similarly to Kokichi, moments of vulnerability were hard to come by with Ryoma. He never tried to appear hard or tough, that was just the kind of person he naturally was. Closed off but kind, tortured but never able to ask for help. That’s why in this moment you so valued hearing something like that from him. 

“I just nudged you in the right direction. This has all got to do with your perseverance” you return his words, allowing him to understand that getting over his past trauma was a feat he accomplished on his own - you just aided the process. 

“Copying me now, huh?” he laughs, deep and genuine. 

Popping an eye open you see him looking at you with such purpose, regarding you with such love and respect. It’s the sort of expression that makes your heart jump in your chest, that makes your already weak legs grow weaker but in the best of ways. 

“You know it” you coo, leaning forward to press a soft kiss to his lips, one he returns slow and deliberate. 

“You’re lucky you’re hot, you know that?” he murmurs somewhere after the kiss had ended. 

“I’m sweating and disgusting, what part of that is hot? Aside from my actual body feeling like it’s on fire?” 

“All of it” he smirks, lifting a seductive eyebrow up at you. “I love watch you get into it” 

“Yeah?” you smirked back, returning his expression. “Well I’ll keep that in mind” 

Sometime later, with limited energy left to keep up that game, the two of you returned home…but that wasn’t to say you didn’t get into another game in the shower. 

That wasn’t always part of the routine but it was a welcome addition most days. 

 

\------------Angie and the Art of Meditation-----------

There were few people in the house who, while conflicted over the reality of their existence, still went head first into what they had been programmed to love. Miu, Tenko, Himiko, Gonta, Kaito, Kaede and Angie had been among those individuals. Miu was incredibly creative and gifted, which are things she had said about herself profusely, so needless to say that even when the truth was revealed she didn’t stop inventing. In Tenko’s case, nothing could ever keep the neo-aikido master from her workout regime. Himiko used magic as a way to cope. Gonta couldn’t comprehend a world without bugs. Kaito still aimed to get to space one day, even if that day was far in the future. Kaede was naturally drawn to the piano, softly playing the instrument on days when things seemed bleakest and she needed a new outlook on a problem and…. 

Angie fell in love with art all over again. 

She began focusing much more on it, slowly allowing the therapy of painting to replace the concept of Atua.

This process began sometime after you confronted her about her habit of shoving her religion down everyone’s throats and using the deity as an excuse for bad behavior. You told her she didn’t have to get rid of it altogether but she needed to do some soul searching without Atua, that she needed to know and understand who she was individually. At first it seemed like she hated you for it, pointedly bringing up Atua’s opinions whenever you were around and acting out as if to say ‘this is who I am and you won’t change me.’ 

Over time, that rebellious expression of stubborness lessened and at times you would even catch the girl looking downtrodden and out of place. After some time she explained to you that your words had gotten to her. When she looked inside of herself, without defaulting to Atua’s guidance as reason for her actions, she discovered a lot of her habits were things she couldn’t justify. They were things she didn’t like about herself. She had a bad habit where she would take over conversations and people’s opinions and shut them down based on “Atua’s principles” when in reality those thoughts were her own, sheltered behind a divine concept. This was something you had called her out on and the more she searched the more she had to accept that you were right. 

You encouraged Angie to work on her self expression through her art, rather than expressing herself badly through Atua - to stop saying that every bit of talent she had and the visions she created were from him and him alone. So she did and she got better. She got to a place where Atua became a healthy concept. He became a beacon of support, such as many other God’s in other religions are meant to represent, but no longer shielded her bad behavior. She didn’t hide behind his divinity but rather used it as strength in hard times. 

She thanked you for giving her that and in return invited you to be with her when she went through her own type of therapy session, since you had helped her. In times of raw emotion, whether she felt happy, sad or just content to be Angie often found herself in a meditative state but always had a canvas nearby and would allow her hand to drift anywhere it pleased, subsequently picking apart any images or feelings she could make out in her work afterwards as a sort of self reflection. 

On hard days you would visit her and spend a quiet afternoon just letting your feelings out in brush strokes, hoping that when you opened your eyes you could make sense of the swirling emotions within you. More often than not this method was one of the most calming and most eye opening methods of therapy and soon enough you fell in love with it. Thankfully though, these interactions with Angie weren’t limited to just bad days and soon you would sit in her room with her just to paint and be in her presence.  
Today was one of those days. 

“Oooh, that’s very interesting, [Name]!” Angie cooed, leaning over your picture. “From what I can tell of these patterns you’ve been feeling very productive recently! That’s a great improvement compared to last month!” 

You laughed a small bit, watching her with curious eyes as her own scan over your collage of shapes. “I think it’s amazing you can tell all that with just a mess of strokes” 

“I realized after a while that certain emotions and ideas carry certain types of movements. They’re all very unique but they share similarities that are unmistakable” 

“So, where do you see productivity in mine?” you ask, quirking an eyebrow. 

“All of the straight lines!” she beams, pointing at the collection of short and tall lines. “Straight lines either represent a feeling of stability or productivity whereas circles, which you were drawing a lot of previously, show signs of being stuck in a loop or feeling unproductive” 

“Really? Well, I have to admit I have been feeling a bit better as of late” 

“That’s good! That means you’ve been improving” she smiles, lacing her free hand with your own. 

A soft blush creeps up on to your cheeks at the encouragement. “Aww, thanks Angie. That’s sweet”

She just keeps smiling at you, running a thumb over your fingers. “No problem! After everything you’ve done for me, I’m happy to see you excelling!” 

This warm, content bubble of air wells up in your chest and you squeeze Angie’s hand ever so softly. “You’re so cute, you know that?” 

“Hehe~ I know~” the response is typical but you don’t miss the hints of pink fluster rising up in her cheeks. 

You peer over, looking at her piece of art, which actually had quite a bit more substance than yours given Angie spent all day, pretty much every day painting. “Well, cutie, what does yours say?” 

Angie spends that afternoon talking to you about how the shapes in her painting represented the progress she’d made. How her connection to her religion has grown less intense and more comfortable and also the comfort she had found in you. 

 

\--------Miu and her Inventions--------

Of all the people that hadn’t changed much, Miu was definitely one who was unfettered by the reality of what happened at the academy. She stood to reason that the person she was before couldn’t have been “nearly as interesting or as hot as I am right now!” and that the change was welcomed. At first you wondered how much of that was her running from the reality but in the end it seemed like Miu was content to be herself as she was, her problems laid elsewhere of course like in her trust issues and inconsideration of others, but that was a story for another day. 

Miu, much like back at the academy, was always getting into a new idea or invention that she wanted to try out. For some reason you always wound up being the person would come to for a second opinion or to help her test things out. Miu really came alive and let herself break free a bit more while she was inventing so you were happy to help as long as your boundaries were not violated. 

They never were and you actually grew a lot closer to Miu this way. Many times after a success or multiple attempts at a success had occurred you would find yourselves in the shed, her makeshift lab, just talking about things. It seemed like if Miu was willing to let you inside her head regarding her inventions, she was willing to let you pick her brain about other things too which helped a lot. 

This too eventually became something of a routine for you- helping her with inventions. 

“So tell me again how making out with me is going to make electricity?” you inquire, watching Miu strap herself up to a variety of wires. The wires were connected to some sort of generator that had a lamp plugged into it for testing. 

“Well, if you’re any good at it I’m gonna really get going and it’s my hypothesis that the adrenaline in my body will be supercharged by this machine to then create an electrical charge!” Miu explains, then beckoning you over. 

“Now come over here and kiss me, dammit!” 

You’re not sure how that works, or if it even was possible in the first place but Miu had concocted some pretty crazy blueprints for inventions in the past that she brought to fruition by what you referred to as bending all fabric of reality and logic. So you suppose, maybe this will work too. Not that you were complaining really, if all you had to do was make out with her that was a welcome change to some of the other more grimy crap you had to do in the past.

Besides… her lips were soooo soft. 

You take careful steps towards her, making sure that she truly was alright with this. It wasn’t like you hadn’t made out before or gone even farther than that but you always liked to make sure that consent was agreed between both parties before anything. So, when Miu barked at you to ‘hurry up and get to the kissing’ you took that as a sign that she was fine with it.

You wrap your arms slowly around her, careful of the wires, and pull her in tight to you. You rest your forehead against hers, staring into her eyes and already you can see the way she’s starting to fluster, eyes trembling and scrambling in the heat of your gaze. 

“Hey… just kiss me already I… I want to see if this works…” she begs, fingers softly gripping the fabric of your shirt. 

“Don’t worry” you whisper against her lips, slithering your tongue out over the top of her mouth which causes her to squeak. “I’m just making sure you’re properly charged up” 

“I can be the judge of that just… do it already…” she breathes. 

She’s so damn cute when she’s like this, needy but commanding all the same. You’d seen this side of her more than once and you had to say, it was definitely one of your favorites. Eventually, you decide you had teased her enough and close the distance between the two of you. 

You press your lips firmly against hers, cupping the back of her head to hold her against you as you imbue upon her as much warmth and fervor as you possibly could in this kiss, transferring your energy through to her. You can feel her whimpering and moaning against you, pressing back with just as much enthusiasm, fingers clutching tighter around your shirt. This was the part of her that you cherished most. Her boastful, cocky self was amusing and you loved that side of her just as much but for her to be vulnerable in your arms was a treat in itself. Even with all of her trust issues, to know that she put this much faith in you was heartwarming. 

You stayed like that for a while, just working her up. It’s after a few minutes that you suddenly hear the soft whirr of the machine she was attached to, which causes you to pop open an eye. It rumbles on for a little while before out of your peripheral you see the light of the lamp flicker to life. You’d be damned, she’d done it again. 

You half expect Miu to pull away from you to gloat about her success but she instead does much the opposite and stays glued to your lips, eager and unwilling to let you go even if it would have been for good reason. Though… you had to admit that you didn’t quite want to let her go yet either. This moment in time was warm and intense but also gentle and sweet. When you thought about it you were glad she didn’t pull away but instead let you bask in the sensation of her soft lips and the warmth of her affections.  
Definitely a recommended way to spend the afternoon. 

\--------------

Thinking on it now you realize that many aspects of those routines might be abnormal to many people but to you it was how you had chosen to live your life. You had chosen to be with people you loved and to spend time with them when you had the chance - to let them know you loved them when you had the chance and really…

there wasn’t a thing you would change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO I AM HERE AND FREE FROM SCHOOL. 
> 
> That being said I don't know how long it's going to take me to return to a schedule upload but I will try to get at least three or four fics a month to you guys (so a fic a week basically) which was kind of why I wanted to make this cute little series because you kind of got a couple of short fics to make up for the wait! That and I figured this was the easiest way to put in some time with the characters who have less spot light but have been requested so far in the series. 
> 
> I think I'll wind up doing this for all the characters maybe? So there would be three more chapters of something like this (four each). What characters do you want to see next? What kind of "routines" so to speak do you think they and the reader would get into? Let me know your thoughts!
> 
> Also I've got an idea for another fic that would be really nsfw and would involve normie Shuichi. Yay or nay? Lemme know! 
> 
> And as always thank you guys for sticking with me <3 Your comments and kudos mean the world to me and honestly keep me going. You're all lovely and a blessing, thank you!!


	12. Routine Maintenance [2] [Korekiyo][Himiko][Gonta][Kaito]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part two of Routine Maintenance! This time featuring Korekiyo, Gonta, Himiko and Kaito!

After a while of living in a stable environment it’s only natural that certain events and phases of life start to become routine. Unlike the linear patterns of most families or couples that were much, much smaller in number and not so diverse as your household, the routines in your house were numerous and sometimes - no, most of the time - required more than one person. Somehow, more often than not, you were that other person. This is a list of your recountence of some of those such routines that you had been apart of those past two years. 

 

 

\--- Gonta and the Butterflies ---

It would be disingenuous, at best, to say that you  _ liked  _ bugs. Some of them were interesting to learn about and even observe but for the most part you just tried to tolerate the fact that you shared this earth with the little critters. You tried even harder after having lived with Gonta. The gentle giant was just so passionate about the entire world of insects that you didn’t have the heart to be such a downer about it. After a while Gonta was aware that the stray beetles and occasional roach found in the house were not everyone’s favorite. It took some time but he did come to learn that a person’s aversion to the critters didn’t necessarily speak volumes about their character, as many good people are afraid of bugs. Although you still tried to meet him somewhere in the middle, if only just to see him smile.

It took awhile but you helped him build up the backyard into a suitable garden for the nicer kinds of bugs to flourish. There were plenty of flowers for them to feed on as well as fertilized, rich dirt for them to crawl around in as well as structures them to hang out on. One in particular had been built for caterpillars to hang from when it was time for them to form a chrysalis. It was a wooden, rectangular structure that had plants growing all around it, making it ideal for the changing bugs to hang from. This structure actually got used quite a bit and you’re not quite sure how Gonta managed to have quite so many wriggly creatures culminate on this one thing, but he did it. Every summer you would go out there with him and it would be absolutely full of butterflies-to-be. Then again, you did suppose he was meant to be the Ultimate Entomologist after all. 

So, every summer, the two of you would go out every few days to see how the cocooned insects were doing. There wasn’t much to be done for them when they were in this stage but it was just fun to see if they had emerged or not.

Gonta peered from pupa to pupa, happily observing the state the butterflies were in, especially when he realized they were all doing well and that it wouldn’t be too much longer until they emerged, blossoming into a beautiful pattern and setting themselves free.

“How are they doing, dear?” you called, trying to peer over the large man’s shoulder.

“They do well! Should not be long until they come out” he smiled, eyes focused on the sleeping creatures before him.

“That’s great! I bet you must be really excited, huh?”

“Yes! Gonta cannot wait to see butterflies, they’re very pretty - oh!” something caught his attention and he knelt down. Upon closer inspection you noticed that the thing he was looking at was a cocoon slightly shaking.

“This one ready to come out! Shouldn’t be long now”

The two of you knelt down next to it, waiting eagerly - Gonta was absolutely brimming with excitement - for the moment when the butterfly emerged. You took the time in between the butterflies struggle to let your eyes drift over to the tall man next to you. His eyes were filled with this kind of innocent joy that just invokes a smile from anyone who were to see it and you were no exception. He had to be one of the most adorable people you had ever met and  you were glad that even if Gonta couldn’t keep the bugs as pets that he still got to interact with them in some capacity. It worked out for the best in the end because in this setting it was most optimal for research because he could study them in a natural habitat. In this way, everyone met in a good compromise.

“Oh!” the light in Gonta’s eyes brightened, alerting you to a change taking place.

You looked back to the pupa to find the butterfly was very much emerging, climbing out of the cocoon and flexing it’s small wings, flapping them free of the dampness that lingered from all that time in the pupa.

“Ah! They’re healthy! They should be able to fly soon, once wings are not wet” Gonta chirped happily.

“That’s great! How long does it take for their wings to dry out?”

“Half an hour, maybe two if butterfly is very wet”

“Should we stay with it until it flies off?”

“Yes, we most certainly should!”

You sat down carefully next to Gonta, making sure not to make too sudden of a movement so as not to scare the newly reborn creature. You studied the patterns decorating it's wings, the splotches of blue that brilliantly adorned them.

“Wow, it's really pretty, huh?” you breathed in awe, having never seen something quite like this before.

“Yes, very pretty. Butterflies are one of Gonta’s - ah one of... _my?_ Favorite bugs?” A patch of red fans over Gonta's cheeks, clearly embarrassed as he tried to correct his speech.

“Very good, Gonta! That's exactly right” you beamed.

You were by no means a linguistics master but you tried to help Gonta now and again with speaking “correctly.” You honestly wouldn't have even bothered in the first place for the sole reason that his speech spoke nothing of his intelligence and he was still quite capable of communicating. However once the lot of you reintegrated back to school and the smallest spaces of society possible, Gonta quickly became a target for bullying because of how he talked and teachers were not quite so patient with him as they should have been. After watching that jovial shine in his eyes dissipate after some time you took it upon yourself to teach Gonta now and again. Shuichi, Kirumi, Rantaro and Korekiyo had also joined the cause after some time and helped you out once they learned what you were doing.  Hearing him now, all of that work certainly seemed to be paying off.

The shy look in Gonta's eyes subsides into something softer, something of adoration as he looked to you. “Ah, thank you [Name]. You are always so patient”

“Well, this is all new to you but you're learning, that's the most important thing. You're like a caterpillar morphing into a beautiful butterfly” you giggled, pinching his cheeks ever so gently.  

The look in his eyes grows shy again, a bashful smile slipping onto his face. “Gonta...no,  _ I _ think [Name] is much more like butterfly”

This time it was your turn for your cheeks to grow warm under the summer sun. “Me? How so?”

“[Name] is beautiful like butterfly wings and also gentle like butterfly. [Name] is also one of... _ my _ favorite people. Like how butterfly is one of my favorite bugs”

You could feel the slow build up of emotion behind your eyes as he looked to you so gently and so honestly as he said those words, that flustered blush only exacerbating his innocent expression. You felt a kind of warmth in your chest that made your whole body aware of just how touched you were in that moment.

“Aww Gonta, that’s such a sweet thing to say”

“It’s true. That why I say it” he smiled at you, wide enough that it was almost a grin and you returned that gesture.

“Well, that was very sweet of you and you’re one of my favorite people too, for the record” you giggled and leaned over to press a kiss to his warm cheeks.  

“I am very glad to hear that” he smiled, gently touching upon the place where your lips had left their mark.

In that moment you gathered yourself and scooted closer to Gonta, resting your head on his shoulder. The two of you would continue to watch the butterfly stretch it’s muscles in preparation for flight for the next few hours. You spent that time observing and enjoying each other’s company as you had done many summer days before that and definitely would do after that.  

 

 

  
\--- Kaito and his exhausted star gazing ---

Breaths would intermingle on a perfect spring evening where the wind sewn gently through the air to keep bodies cool enough to be comfortable but not so much as to freeze. On nights like that you often found yourself underneath the bright, illuminous moon and it’s thousands of little partners skittered across the sky that painted the midnight blue canvas effortlessly. Your body would be aching, legs surely to be sore far into the next day and your heart raced faster than the romantic air could ever make it. Though, it was all worth it in the end honestly.

When you first returned back to this regime of late night workouts - having stopping sometime after the killing game ended - you were just as nervous and self conscious as the first time the astronaut had ever invited you to join him and Shuichi, Maki entering the circle soon after. However as time went on, much like at that time, you found yourself easing into it. Kaito was never shy about, or at a loss, for compliments and it really helped to fuel your motivation. The days where you felt like a sweating pig were the days he would rip your lowered self esteem apart and replace it with his words of encouragement and adoration.

It was… healing, really.

The two of you never made it about weight and with as much as the both of you ate there was never any judgement if either of you had a cheat day… or cheat days. If anything, this time was for the both of you to bond, first as friends and then as partners. As the both of you got busier and busier you found it hard to keep up this routine in the daytime so it slowly progressed to a nighttime session, where the two of you would sit and watch the stars long after you had tuckered yourselves out.

So, as with many other nights, you would lay against his chest, staring up at the sky as he pointed out constellations and told you of any stories pertaining to those clusters of stars that came to mind.

“Oh hey, look! Your sign is out tonight!” he mentioned cheerfully, finger tracing along the patterns of your star sign in the sky.

“Oooh, is that good luck or something?”

Kaito chuckled softly. “Well, some say it can be. It all depends on how you look at it I guess. Some people look at it as a sign of good luck, that change is coming or that the time for something you’ve been thinking about doing is here”

“How am I ever going to know which is which?” you laughed, turning your head in the direction of his face.

“It’s just something you feel! You gotta connect with the universe, man!” his voice brimmed in enthusiasm, something that made you smile all the more.  

“Honestly, until I became an astronaut I had a hard time buying into zodiacs because of how of a fad it seemed to be. I just wanted to appreciate the stars for what they were. After awhile though I noticed that whenever I could see my sign I always got this feeling, like something was coming or that it was just the time to do whatever I’d been afraid to”

“For real?”

“Yeah, for real” he slipped his hand into yours, squeezing gently. “So, what do you feel when you look at it? Anything at all?”

You turned your head from him, eyes following to where his fingers had been happily tracing out your sign in the sky. You concentrated on it for a few minutes, just clearing your mind and letting whatever energies of the universe were around slip into your calmed mind.

The longer you sat in that content space, the more you noticed the prevalent feeling settling in the corners of your being. It felt like… belonging. Like there was nothing more you were supposed to be doing than this. You felt right and in balance for the first time in a long time.

“Well, anything?” Kaito prodded, eager for your insight.

You smiled gently, shaking your head ever so slightly. “I feel… like everything’s right. Like, right now, everything is in place and there’s nothing I should be worried about”

You reflect for a moment, thinking back on how that feeling had been escaping you in prior months. “It’s been… so long since I’ve felt this way. For a while I thought I might never find this feeling…”

You feel Kaito squeeze your hand and then your entire body gently closer against his own, his subtle way of accepting your growth and understanding your words.

A few months ago, in the absence of anyone else to fix but yourself, you came crumbling down - unable to find a solution. Everyone was there for the fall, including Kaito. So to be able to say something like you just had, it no doubt filled the space man's heart with a sense of ease.

“I’m glad, [Name]. You deserve it, you know? You work hard for all of us, for yourself. We were all… really worried about you, y’know?”

“I know, and I’m sorry I put you all through that but… I think I needed someone to worry about me because I didn’t know how to worry about myself” you laughed, bittersweet at the memory.

“Yeah, I think I get that. But just know you can come to us, anytime you need to, alright?”

You had echoed those same sentiments to so many of your housemates a thousand times before, it really was a wonder you couldn’t follow your own advice.

“I know… I know that now” you smiled, content to know that in your heart you had finally learned to trust your partners with yourself; with even the uglier parts you rather no one knew.

“Good, you better. After all, I’m Kaito Momota! If anyone can cheer you up, it’s gonna be me!” he beamed loudly, making you laugh fully and honestly.

“That’s for sure, Kaito. That’s for sure….”

Under the cover of the stars you would laugh, cry and reflect for many more nights after that. Of all the routines you had, that was always one of your favorites.

 

  
  
\--- Himiko and her Magic Tricks ---

If there was one thing that never changed about Himiko, even long after the game ended, it was her love of magic. Like most people in your house, it was something she could rely on, something she was good at, something she knew inside and out. It was something that couldn’t be taken away from her because it was tangible and real. So naturally, she spent a lot of time doing magic and practicing it. You could hear her in her room on days where Tenko was busy, mumbling spells to herself. At first you thought it was kind of cute that she kept up this charade of it being real sorcery rather than parlor tricks. Not that any of her tricks didn’t have some essence of magic to them - illusions and the many combinations of physics were magic in themselves - but it wasn’t quite Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, which is what she made it out to be. 

Curiosity got the better of you one day and you decided to peep in on what she was doing. She had, by the sound of her exclamations, just finished mastering a new “technique” as it were and you wanted to know what it was. Overjoyed at your interest, Himiko gladly showed you her new skill. She somehow managed to make a pen appear inside of a water bottle without opening it and there were no visible cracks along the bottle either. Of course, as per code, a magician never reveals their secrets, so you were left wondering how she had managed to do such a thing. The urge to figure it out, for knowledge on this kind of magic, festered in your gut and brought you back time and time again whenever she had something new to show you.

On one particular day, the trick turned into something rather cute.

Now you had seen Himiko do her fair share of card tricks. Pulling them out of her hat, her mouth and one point she had even managed to apparate your chosen card into your left sock. This time around the goal and the trick were very much the same but slightly different in the sense that -

“For this, your chosen card will have a special message on it!” she cheered happily.

“Ooh? A message? That sounds interesting” you smiled.

“It will be! So go on and hold out your hands”

So you did, you held out your eager palms to her. She placed the cards in your hand and told you to flip through and pick a card. You did so and made sure to pick a card that you hadn’t picked previously - the four of diamonds - and handed the deck off back to her. You had done this part with her so many times before that by this point the initial lead up to this trick lost it’s spark but that didn’t mean you weren’t excited for the rest of it.

She made sure to demonstrate that she had no way of knowing what the card was and that all the cards were different, completely impossible for her to rig this process or see what your card was beforehand. She goes on, shuffling the cards and then suddenly with a flick of her wrist they disappear in her hands.

You blinked, still shocked every time she managed to pull that off. Still yet, a thought enters your mind. “Himiko, how am I supposed to read the card if it’s gone?” you laughed.

This sparkle of mischief glinted in her eyes as the sides of her mouth turned upwards. “Like this..”

You heard a low rumble from underneath you, the circular patch of rug vibrating just below you. In a single moment cards erupted out from beneath the carpet, flying up and falling down around you. It happened so fast that the only thing you thought to do was cover your face from the onslaught of cards hailing down on you, letting out a squeak in the process.

Eventually, the hail subsides and as you chance a glance from behind the curtain of your arms, you find there’s only one card left, slowly fluttering down to the ground. Curious, you reach out and take it from the air. Your eyes scan over the card and immediately widen as your brain registers exactly what you were looking at.

“It’s my card…” 

The look on Himiko’s face reflects that she finds your expression absolutely priceless. “Sure is, now flip it over!”

You do so, remembering what she had said about a special message earlier. Flipping the card over you found, scribbled with black marker, in Himiko’s handwriting the words-

“You’re really cute…” you looked to Himiko once more, eyes softening. “Aww thank you, that’s so sweet!” 

You scooted closer to her, engulfing her in a hug, pulling her tight to you. “You didn’t have to go through all of this just to tell me that”

“Well… I felt like you deserved it. I know I’m not the best at showing affection so… this was the next best thing…” she mumbled into your shoulder, shyly returning your embrace.

“That’s… really sweet, thank you, Himiko” you smiled, patting her head, a gesture she’s instantly responsive to.

“Mm… you’re welcome”

There weren’t many surprises like that afterwards but the spontaneity of it made it all the sweeter whenever she did pull off something like that. They were things you never expected, never asked for so when she took it upon herself to show you how much she valued you, it really meant the world to you.

It was like being touched by magic, the magic of being cherished.

  
  


 

\--- Korekiyo and his research --

Korekiyo had always been the curious sort, hungry for knowledge and always willing to explore the parts of humanity other people would rather not touch. He explored the dark and the boring, all in an attempt to see all sides of life and the beauty of everything. You were actually rather glad that after all that had happened that he was still so lively in his studies. After  the reveal of his non-existent sister you feared he might lose interest in everything altogether, lost in a world without her. You had spoken to him at that time, on a night he had secluded himself away from the group, and tried to convince him that investing his time in other things in lieu of his sister, might be good for him. You saw the gradual progression of his character in the months after that. It seemed he wasn’t  _ quite _ so dependant as you once pegged him to be. Of course, you did see bits and pieces of that dependency now and again, but it was genuinely one of the cutest things you had ever seen.

When he first began delving back into his studies he would often come to you with something he thought you might find interesting. You thought it was absolutely adorable how this once mysterious, once thought to be creepy young man, would knock ever so softly at your door and ask if he could trouble you for a bit of your time. He always looked just a titch bashful, like he felt as though he might be bothering you.

You, on the other hand, would smile and welcome him into whatever space you were in, putting his insecurities to rest time and time again. You would see that small smile inch across his lips, as he wore his mask less often these days, and your heart felt so warm. The two of you could sit for hours if he was feeling talkative enough or if you weren’t too tired. In the beginning it started with the two of you sitting across from each other, a comfortable distance from each other but slowly it turned more and more intimate. Little by little the two of you were closer and closer, soon enough to the point where the two of you had your limbs intertwined, listening to the other rebound off of each other’s information.

One day, you found yourself laying in his lap, his voice was exploring the topic of human empathy. The situation didn’t sound all too romantic described in that way but experiencing it was a whole other story.

Picture this: his fingers were in your hair, gently combing through it as he spoke, calm and soothing as he always did. “Empathy is a rather taxing emotion for the brain to process” he spoke.

“Mm, that’s true” you replied, voice soft and a bit slurred as your eyes closed and your body began to feel heavy from the overall content feeling this situation left you with.

“It’s because of this that the brain puts a limit on how many people we can interact with. Once that number becomes too high we stop seeing people as other human beings but rather objects as extending empathy to that many people is nigh impossible” he continued, nimble fingers still dancing in your hair.

“That makes sense... “ you murmured. “After all it’s hard to think of all the people around you when you might not be feeling your best or…” a yawn sounds out of your mouth “.. or perhaps you’re not in any kind of state to be caring for others”

He chuckled softly above you. “I feel I may be seeing a real life example of that”

“Mm? Whatcha mean..?” you slurred.

“You let me prattle on because you know I like speaking with you about these topics but you’re exhausted, aren’t you?”

“Well I wouldn’t say exhausted…” you giggled. “I mean I am tired but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to listen to you, you know?” 

“Perhaps but I don’t want you to force yourself for my sake, either” 

“Aw Kiyo, I’m not forcing myself. I really do like talking with you, I guess I’m just not completely focused today” you admitted.

“You could have told me that, I wouldn’t have minded if you needed a day to yourself”

“I know but again, I wanted to spend some time with you even if I was tired and this seemed like the best time to do that” you smiled, rolling over so that you could see his face. 

His hand drifts over your cheeks, tracing your bones and across your jawline, an action that made you fall ever more into the comfort of sleep, body lulling from his tender touches.

“Well, there are other ways for us to spend time together. It doesn’t always have to be discussions”

Your eyes widened ever so, eyebrows raised in curiosity. “Oh, did you have something in mind?”

“Well…” you noticed the small bloom of a blush unfolding on his cheeks. “Given the situation I suppose we could lie down together….”

A gentle smile found you as he so easily flustered over such a simple thought. “Yeah?”

“Yes… after all it’s been proven that laying with someone in such close proximity has been known to foster closer relationships and garner a stronger sense of trust in others”

“Really? I didn’t know that” you laughed gently as you snuck your fingers into the spaces between his. “Well, wanna come to my room then? Shuichi’s still out so we’ll be completely alone”

“Yes… I’d like that” the little smile that stretched over his face was absolutely precious.

You giggled softly, leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek. “Well, come on then. There’s a bed waiting”

You led him to your room, fingers still intertwined, and climbed onto your loft bed that hung just above Shuichi’s. Your bodies seemed to fit perfectly against each other as his long body wrapped around yours and you snuggled yourself into his chest, feeling content and safe in that moment.

Perhaps you weren’t speaking with words but the quiet, shared space between you was the perfect place to conversate in breaths and the little touches you left upon each other. It wasn’t verbal but it spoke volumes nonetheless. It was a conversation only people who shared this level of closeness could have and it was one you were happy to have with Korekiyo, anytime he wanted it.

 

 

\------

Thinking on it now you realize that many aspects of those routines might be abnormal to many people but to you it was how you had chosen to live your life. You had chosen to be with people you loved and to spend time with them when you had the chance - to let them know you loved them when you had the chance and really…

there wasn’t a thing you would change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are! New chapter! It took me forever to write this one because, aside from Kaito's, I had to do research for every single one of these little snippets and I may have gotten distracted watching a bunch of magicians on the various ___'s Got Talent shows LOL 
> 
> Anyway here it is! We've got two more Routine Maintenance's to get through and then it's on to more things! It's a thought but I might cap this series at 25-30 chapters. Which isn't to say that there's no chance that I won't make more for it after that but I don't want to keep you guys wondering and waiting if I will so once I answer some of the more important questions in fics I might cap it but we'll see. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who may have read this and commented, you guys are awesome and really keep me going!


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